THE 

BANISHED COUNT; 

OR, 




THE LIFE OF NICHOLAS LOUIS ZOZENDORF. 



FKOM THE FKENCH OF M. FELIX BOVET. 



BY 

REV. JOHN GILL. 



LONDON: 

JAMES NISBET AND . CO., 21 BERNERS STREET. 

MD'CCCLXV. 



9L 



PREFACE. 



In presenting the following narrative to the English 
public, the translator has made a few omissions from the 
original work, with the sanction of the author, and has 
inserted a little additional matter in the Appendix. 

17, The Cedaes Road, Clapham Common, 
June 1865. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

INTRODUCTION, 1 



CHAPTER I. 

EARLY DAYS, . . . . . . . 7 

CHAPTER II 

HALLE AND WITTEMBEEG, ..... 20 

CHAPTER III. 

RESIDENCE IN PARIS, ...... 34 

CHAPTER IV. 

A SINGULAR EPISODE, . . . . . .51 

CHAPTER V. 

ZINZENDORF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND, • 58 



VI CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PAGE 

THE FOUNDATION OF HERRNHUT, .... 67 



CHAPTER VII. 

FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE COLONY, . . . .77 

CHAPTER VIII. 

ZINZENDORF RETIRES FROM COURT, .... 94 

CHAPTER IX. 

HOMEWORK, ....... 103 

CHAPTER X. 

OPPOSITION, . . . . . . .117 

CHAPTER XI. 

VISIT TO DENMARK, ...... 136 

CHAPTER XII. 

MISSIONS TO THE NEGROES, ..... 146 

CHAPTER XIII. 

DEALINGS WITH EMIGRANTS, . . . . .151 



CHAPTER XIV. 

EXAMINATION IN THEOLOGY, . 



159 



CONTENTS. 



vii 



CHAPTEE XV. 

PAGE 

TEAVELS IN DENMARK, HOLLAND, AND PKUSSIA, . . 166 

CHAPTER XVI. 

ZINZENDORF IN ENGLAND, . . . . .179 

CHAPTER XVII. 

EXCITEMENT IN BERLIN, . . . . .184 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

WESTWARD TO THE RESCUE, ..... 190 

CHAPTER XIX. 

CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OF PRUSSIA, . . 199 

CHAPTER XX. 

THE CHURCH IN COUNCIL, ..... 209 

CHAPTER XXI. 

THE PENNSYLVANIANS, . . . . .217 

CHAPTER XXII. 

THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDREN, .... 230 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE COUNT'S IDEAS OF UNITY, 



238 



Viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

PASSING CLOUDS, 

CHAPTER XXV. 

THE FOCUS IN LONDON, 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE EVENING, .... 

APPENDIX, 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Zinzendoef was a poet, a theologian, a pastor, a mission- 
ary, and a statesman. He was a man of high rank, but 
chose to pass most of his life among the poor and oppressed. 
His mind was of that ardent and imaginative cast which 
often gives birth to grand and brilliant schemes, and he 
possessed the practical wisdom required to work them out. 
But he concentrated all his energies on a single point. He 
had but one thought — one desire — and that was to extend * 
the knowledge of the gospel. When but a child he formed 
the resolution to consecrate himself entirely to Christ. 

It was this ever fresh and vigorous purpose that gave 
unity to his life and character. If, however, any of his 
various gifts appeared more prominent than the rest, and 
seemed specially to qualify him for the mission to which 
God had called him, it was the power of organisation and 
government — the faculty of knowing men and leading 
them. There can be no doubt that had he served the 
powers of this world with the enthusiastic activity that he 

A 



2 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



displayed in the cause of his Divine Master, he would have 
become one of the most eminent statesmen of his day. 

Zinzendorf s enemies often compared him to Cromwell ; 
but if this comparison excites a smile, it shows that his 
political talents were not denied. It would have been 
easy to find closer analogies within the domain of ecclesias- 
tical history, as, for instance, in the character and mission 
of Ignatius Loyola. Zinzendorf's early attachment to tra- 
ditional associations, his natural ambition, his relish for 
vast and magnificent projects, his poetic fancy and love of 
adventure, his mystic soul, and his impassioned heart, all 
fitted him to be the knight of the Saviour as Ignatius was 
of the Virgin. 

Each of these men founded a powerful society, stretching 
over the whole earth — an order that exerted a deeper and 
mightier influence on the Christian world than appeared 
on the surface ; and they both consolidated this influence 
by the same means — the education of the young and the 
establishment of missions. 

It was in these two societies that the conquering spirit 
of Christianity suddenly awoke, and manifested an energy 
scarcely witnessed since the days of its first diffusion. The 
order of the Jesuits was no sooner founded than the earliest 
friends and followers of Loyola were heard preaching on 
the plains of India, and braving the martyr's death ; and 
within a few years after the first Moravian settlement rose 
on the slopes of the Hutberg, a band of missionaries left 
their quiet mountain homes in this lovely region to carry 
the message of mercy to the negro slaves of the bunnng 
west. 



INTRODUCTION. 



3 



But if there were so many features of resemblance be- 
tween these two great men and their respective societies, 
where, it may be asked, shall we look for the cause of those 
equally striking points of difference which are to be ob- 
served in the subsequent development of the " Order of 
Jesus" and the " United Brethren ? * 

Why, for example, did the disciples of Zinzendorf con- 
tinue in their humble sphere, taking little or no part in the 
affairs of the world, and indifferent to the attractions of 
earthly grandeur, while those of Ignatius had a hand in all 
the intrigues of courts and cabinets, and not only employed 
the most subtle diplomacy, but, to gain their end, resorted 
to the most questionable expedients of human policy ? 

The essential cause of this divergence may be traced to 
the different points from which the founders of the two 
organisations started, and the different colours they dis- 
played. Ignatius pledged his life to the Virgin Mary. 
Zinzendorf gave himself to Christ. Mary is the patroness 
of Kome. Christ is the Head of the Church universal, and 
the Saviour of the world. Hence, in labouring for the 
honour of Mary, Ignatius could only extend the Romish 
hierarchy, and seek to uproot what was regarded as heresy. 
Zinzendorf, on the other hand, in serving Christ, was not 
advancing the interests of any particular church as opposed 
to others, or seeking to bring men within the bounds of 
any external institution, however vast and imposing, but 
rather aiming to unite them, under all their varieties of 
worship and of creed, in the bond of a common love and 
gratitude to Him who is " the propitiation not for our sins 
only, but for the sins of the whole world." 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Hence, while the name of Jesuit is associated with the 
horrors of the inquisition, and with deeds of intolerance 
and despotism, Zinzendorf stood forth as the fearless advo- 
cate of Christian toleration ; and he was probably the first 
man who clearly saw the real unity of the Church of 
Christ beneath the denominational differences of Catholi- 
cism, Lutheranism, and Keform, to which the men of his 
day attached such vital importance. Loyola represented 
the principles of ecclesiastical authority, and belonged to 
the Church of the past, whose crumbling walls his suc- 
cessors are striving to uphold. Zinzendorf belonged to the 
age of freedom, and to the Church of the future. 

Nor must it be forgotten that Zinzendorf did not ori- 
ginate an order, but a real society, which neither sacrifices 
the family relationship nor restrains its members from act- 
ing on their own account and acquiring property. In this 
respect, therefore, he cannot be classed with the founders 
of monastic brotherhoods. 

The biography of Zinzendorf might be written from 
several different points of view. Spangenberg, who was 
driven from his professorial chair at Halle by the Pietists, 
and became Zinzendorf s coadjutor and successor, wrote it 
with a twofold object — to defend him from the charges of 
his opponents, and as a memorial of the benefits that accrued 
through his instrumentality to the community he founded. 
Eeichel, Duvernoy, and Yerbeek, the last of whom pre- 
pared a popular edition of Spangenberg's work, viewed the 
i life of Zinzendorf chiefly in its relation to the Moravian 
1 Church. There is also a memoir of the Church of the 
Brethren, and one of Zinzendorf, by Baron Schrautenbach, 



INTRODUCTION. 



5 



both of which are peculiarly valuable for their graphic por- 
traits of his leading contemporaries. J. G. Miiller, the 
brother of the celebrated Swiss historian, has also written 
a spirited sketch of Zinzendorf, intended for the use of 
Christians generally. Varnhagen von Ense of Berlin has 
devoted a volume of his Biographical Monuments to the 
same subject ; but he writes from a psychological stand- 
point rather than as a contributor to ecclesiastical history. 
His appreciation of Zinzendorf is just on the whole, and in 
his digest of facts he closely follows Spangenberg. 

Among the principal sources of the biography of Zinzen- 
dorf we may further mention the History of the Church 
of the Brethren by Cranz, and that by Croeger, (the latter 
work having appeared between 1852 and 1854,) the life by 
Brauns, (1850,) and those of Schroeder and Pilgram, pub- 
lished in 1857, the latter being a Catholic writer. 

All these works are in the German language, so that in 
England, as in France, scarcely anything is known of the 
distinguished man who renovated the Moravian Church.* 

Our desire, in this narrative, is to hold up to view the 
mighty power of the Spirit of God; and, in describing 
Zinzendorf s course of action among his contemporaries, to 
point out his special position in the ecclesiastical history of 
his age. 

Zinzendorf wrote much ; but extensive quotation would 
be requisite to give anything like a fair representation of 
his literary remains, and his style presents peculiar difficul- 

* M. Bost, in his Histoire de VEglise des Freres, does not make the 
life of Zinzendorf an essential object ; and moreover his narrative is only 
brought down to 1741, nineteen years before Zinzendorf s death. 



6 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



ties to the translator. He carried to excess that mixture 
of tongues which prevailed in the German language during 
the seventeenth century, and which the critics of his day 
condemned. According to his own statement, he not only 
made free use of the Latin, Greek, and French phrases 
which were then in vogue among his countrymen, but he 
summoned the English and the Dutch tongues to his aid, 
in order to express his ideas the more fully and completely. 
Hence he forswore all pretension to literary elegance or 
purity; and it is superfluous to say that any attempt at an 
exact rendering of his compositions could only result in a 
caricature. All the translator can do is to convey their 
spirit and meaning without regard to literal accuracy. 



CHAPTEE I. 



EARLY DAYS. 



Nicholas Louis, Count of Zinzendorf and Pottendorf, 
Lord of Freydeck, Schoeneck, Thurnstein, and other places, 
was born in Dresden on the 26th of May 1700. His 
ancestors, who were raised to the rank of counts of the 
empire in 1662, originally came from Austria, and are 
known in history as far back as the eleventh century. 
One of them, Henry Zinzendorf, was intrusted with the 
government of the states belonging to Leopold, Margrave 
of Austria, during the absence of the latter in Palestine. 
Another took part in the third crusade, and fought under 
the walls of Ptolemais. John IV., the young lord of Zin- 
zendorf, was among the earliest converts to Lutheranism ; 
and his grandson, Maximilian Erasmus, in 1633, under 
the Emperor Ferdinand II., became a voluntary exile 
rather than renounce his faith. He gave up all his pos- 
sessions in Austria, and retired to his castle at Oberbirg, 
near Nuremberg. His two sons entered the service of the 
Elector of Saxony. The eldest became a general. The 
other, G-eorge Louis, was made a privy-councillor, and was 
universally esteemed for his good sense and high integrity. 
He married twice, and his second wife was the mother of 
Nicholas Louis Zinzendorf. 



8 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The memory of his ancestors made a powerful impression 
on the mind of the young count. He had been taught 
from his childhood the incalculable value of the faith for 
which they suffered, and hence we can easily understand 
the peculiar sympathy he manifested in after years towards 
the Moravian emigrants. He felt himself specially called 
to be the protector of those who, like his forefathers, had 
forsaken all for Christ. There are also traces in his writ- 
ings of another kind of feeling with regard to his ancestry. 
Though in after days he renounced his titles, to prevent 
himself from being trammelled in the work he had under- 
taken, he seems in the early part of his life to have thought 

i much of his noble birth ; and he regarded the name he had 
inherited as a badge that pledged him to spend his powers 
in a good cause, while he said that to bear the name of 

• Christian involved a double obligation. " From the time 
of Count Albert," he remarks, " our family motto has been, 
No yielding either to one or to all. This is our nature. 
It is hard to yield. But there is One before whom my 
courage fails, and this is Jesus, who hung on the tree — 
Jesus who was scorned, and smitten, and railed upon, but 
who soon afterwards vanquished the world." 

While there can be no doubt that the social position of 
Zinzendorf s family had a certain amount of influence on 
the formation of his character, the religious and moral 
atmosphere in which he was placed must also be taken 
into account. 

The Keformation, which had resulted partly from the 
revival of letters and partly from a spiritual awakening, 
had been characterised from the commencement by a 



EARLY DAYS. 



9 



decided predilection for dogmatic theology, the cause of 
which is easily to be traced. The Holy Scriptures, long 
sealed with seven seals, had just unfolded their wondrous 
contents to the eyes of the Church. The Spirit of God had 
breathed on the heart of man. A glorious day had beamed 
forth, and a desire was at once evinced to take advantage 
of the new and precious light to put every truth of Chris- 
tianity in its right place, and, like Adam in Eden, to give 
everything a name. It was thought that the whole range 
of theology might be systematised, and every doctrine 
clearly denned. Protestantism, unconscious of its true great- 
ness, could not accept the reproach cast upon it by the Papists, 
that it leaves the explanation of the Bible, and consequently 
the settling of doctrinal forms, to individual judgment. 
The Keformed Churches, therefore, made it a primary object 
to construct a Biblical orthodoxy, which should supersede 
that established by the Catholic fathers. Hence the ten- 
dency, from the time of Luther and Zwingle, towards the 
absolute in the sphere of religious belief, and hence the 
divisions between the Lutherans and the Reformed, both of 
which parties took an important position in Germany, and 
threatened to stifle the Keformation in its cradle. The 
dispute between these rival camps soon grew into a war as 
fierce as civil wars always are, and the great German 
divine, Melancthon, whose days were cut short by sorrow, 
died thanking God for delivering him " from the fury of 
the theologians." After he was gone the strife waxed 
worse. 

While the heroes of the sixteenth century remained on 
the scene, the first inspiration which gave birth to the 



10 



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reform, though impaired, was not quite lost, nor was the 
heavenly origin of the movement altogether forgotten. But 
no sooner were these mighty spirits removed than darkness 
returned, theology displaced religion, and orthodoxy was 
substituted for faith. 

The history of the churches in Germany is nothing but 
a record of the painful process that produced the Lutheran 
and the Reformed creeds, and it conducts us through an 
interminable series of struggles between the advocates of 
different theological opinions — struggles which were some- 
times embittered by the interference of princes, and fol- 
lowed by cruel persecutions and subtle formularies, remind- 
ing us of the ecclesiastical feuds that shook the court of 
Constantinople. 

The reign of orthodoxy, inaugurated in the Lutheran 
Church by the " Formula of Concord,'"' (1577.) and in the 
, Reformed Church by the Synod of Dordrecht, (1629,) 
counted amongst its victims Kepler and G-rotius, and con- 
tinued through the whole of the seventeenth century. This 
may be regarded as the mediaeval age of the evangelical 
churches in Germany; it was the period of Protestant 
scholasticism, and the fruits soon appeared. Christian life 
was all but extinct ; the Church was on the point of death, 
wrapped in an evangelical confession and a faultless doc- 
trinal creed. It was not a reformation that it wanted, but 
an awakening from its slumber. And the awakening came 
to pass in the province of Saxony, which had been the 
cradle of the German Reformation. 

The instrument in this case was Spener. Spener's work 
was essentially practical ; it was the work of a pastor rather 



EARLY DAYS. 



11 



than that of a theologian. It is true, he endeavoured to 
exalt the study of the Scriptures above that of all other 
standards, and to counterbalance the despotic authority of 
princes and prelates by creating in the Church a kind of 
third estate. But he did not dispute the principles con- 
tained in the Augsburg confession, the doctrinal basis of 
the Church to which he belonged. What he laboured for 
was, to impress those around him with the conviction, that 
the true sphere of Christianity is not the intellect but the 
conscience ; and that faith does not consist in a mental 
adherence to a certain number of revealed truths, but that 
it is a mighty power, a force from God that regenerates the 
soul. Hence conversion was the centre of his teaching, 
and the touchstone of Chiistianity. He did not divide 
men. as the other theologians of his time did, into orthodox 
and heretic, but into converted and unconverted. 

Spener allowed the doctrine of justification by faith to 
hold the throne on which Luther had placed it ; but he 
attached greater importance to Christian asceticism than 
the Reformer did. The result was a certain moroseness 
and severity of tone, both in himself and in his followers, 
that recalled the Jansenism of Port Royal and the Cal- 
vinism of Geneva. 

The designation given to Spener's teaching was Pietism ; 
and the term was not inapt, because the essential point in 
his system was the exclusive importance of piety, or prac- 
tical and personal religion, as distinguished from mere 
orthodoxy. This name was first adopted in the little 
"meetings of piety" which Spener recommended 

Weary as the people were of idle theological disputes, 



12 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



the pungent appeals of Spener, carried home by the Spirit 
of God, soon found an echo in the hearts and consciences 
of multitudes both in Saxony and in Germany. But 
although the quickening influence was felt among the laity 
of all classes, the clergy for the most part kept aloof from 
the movement ; and those of them who favoured it were 
excluded alike from the pulpits and from the chairs of 
learning. 

Frederick III., Elector of Brandenburg, subsequently 
king of Prussia, under the name of Frederick I., became the 
protector of Pietism. He called Spener, who had incurred 
the displeasure of the Elector of Saxony, to Berlin ; and 
-founded a university in Halle, in 1694, which rivalled 
'that of Wittemberg, and was destined to be the repre- 
sentative of the new tendency. From that time Halle 
became to Spener and his work what Wittemberg had 
been to Luther ; and it was in the former of these two 
famous cities that the revival to which we refer bore its 
best fruits. 

But the niind of man, suddenly brought under the 
power of divine truth, is often like a child with a watch, 
or a savage having a compass put into his hands, who is 
so overjoyed at his new possession that he cannot let it 
rest till he has spoiled it. Thus churches and schools 
often become a mere burlesque on what they once were. 

The asceticism of Spener soon became, with most of his 
disciples, a spirit of punctilious and pharisaic legality. 
Starting from the true principle that every human work 
has its moral character and result, they magnified the im- 
portance of the smallest actions to such a degree as to make 



EAELY DAYS. 



13 



the Christian life consist of nothing but a round of pre- 
scribed religious performances, and the avoidance of certain 
pleasures which they called worldly. The little gatherings 
which Spener instituted came to be considered as forming 
the only church, out of which there was no salvation. Hence 
grew up a spiritual pride, which, while it served the poor 
of the sect instead of worldly distinction, supplied new food 
to the exclusive and aristocratic spirits of the wealthier 
members. 

We shall see how these aberrations of Pietism manifested 
themselves in the opposition made to Zinzendorf and his 
work, and how the followers of Zinzendorf also degenerated 
from their first faith. But at the time of his birth the 
movement was in its primitive purity, and had exerted its 
influence on the Gersdorf family, to which his mother be- 
longed. His father, who maintained a close friendship 
with Spener during the residence of the latter in Dresden, 
continued faithful to him in the time of his troubles, and 
Spener came from Berlin to act as godfather at the baptism 
of the young count. The Electress of Saxony and the 
Electress Palatinate also stood as sponsors. 

Zinzendorf was not six weeks old when his father died. 
His mother was a woman of singular worth. She was not 
only remarkable for her seriousness of character and her 
devout spirit, but she possessed brilliant talents ; and she 
excelled most of the women of her day in the depth and 
variety of her knowledge, although at that period, as a 
rule, women were better educated than they are now. 
She knew Greek and Latin, and most of the living lan- 
guages ; she was no stranger to theological science, and she 



14 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



had a considerable amount of poetic genius. But with all 
these qualifications she exercised but little influence on 
the early years of her son. She soon married again, and 
removed to Berlin with her second husband, General 
Natzmer, who afterwards became field-marshal. Zinzen- 
dorf, however, always cherished a profound respect and 
affection for her, as his own words indicate: — "In all 
matters," he says, " that depended on me, my first thought 
always was — What will best please my mother ?" And he 
assures us that he looked up to her more with the feelings 
of a subject than a son. 

General Zinzendorf , the uncle and tutor of the young 
count, having ceased to take any active part in his educa- 
tion, he was left to the guidance of his grandmother on the 
mother's side, the Baroness Gersdorf. Like her daughter, 
the baroness was a woman of eminent piety and of good 
intellectual powers. A volume of her devotional poetry 
was published at Halle in 1729, after her death. She was 
intimate with the leading spirits of the pietist party, and 
with several of them she kept up a regular correspondence. 
Spener, Franke, Autou, and Canstein were frequent guests 
at her castle at Gross-Hennersclorf in Upper Lusatia. The 
visits of these servants of God soon became a blessing to 
the young count, and one day Spener, prompted by a kind 
of prophetic inspiration, placed his hands upon him, and 
consecrated him to the advancement of the kingdom of 
Christ. 

Young Zinzendorf was of a delicate constitution, and 
until he was twenty years of age manifested very little 
physical strength; but he had a powerful will and an 



EAKLY DAYS. 



15 



ardent disposition, only kept in check by his precocious 
thoughtfulness. His progress in study was slow ; his lively 
imagination often proving a hindrance to his memory; 
but the sense of religion was developed at a very early 
period. His grandmother and his aunt Gersdorf , as well 
as his tutor, Edeling, taught him to pray, and gave him 
such careful religious instruction, that by the time he was 
four years old he knew the principal doctrines of Chris- 
tianity. 

The thought that Jesus is our brother, and that He died 
for us, filled his heart with unutterable gratitude, and drew 
out all his affections towards the Saviour. His childlike 
simplicity prepared his mind to receive the truth that, 
since Christ is our brother, we may live with Him in that 
relationship, and open to Him all our thoughts and feel- 
ings, whatever they may be ; and he maintained the habit 
of constant and familiar intercourse with Christ to the end 
of his life. 

He looked forward to the festivities of Christmas and 
Easter with intense interest, and long before the months 
came round, used to look out the hymns designed for those 
seasons, in anticipation of the pleasure he would feel in 
hearing them sung ; and the thought that what Christ had 
done and suffered for sinners would be the theme of so 
many special discourses, made his heart beat with irrepres- 
sible emotion. 

One evening he had fallen asleep while the family were 
at worship, and on waking he wept bitterly because he had 
lost the privilege of hearing them sing one of his favourite 
hymns. 



16 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



" I have had the happiness," he says, in one of his Dis- 
courses to Children, " of knowing the Saviour by experi- 
ence from my youngest years. It was at Hennersdorf, 
when I was a child, that I learnt to love Him. I heard 
Him incessantly speaking to my heart, and I saw Him 
with the eyes of faith. I was told that my Creator 
had become man, and this deeply impressed me. I said 
to myself, that if no one else in the world cared for Him, I 
would love Him. I wished to live and to die with Him. 
In this way I have known the Saviour for many years ; and 
I have carried on a friendship with Him, quite in a childish 
way, sometimes talking with Him for whole hours, as we 
talk with a friend, going in and out of the room quite lost 
in my meditations. In my conversations with the Saviour, 
I felt happy and grateful for the goodness He had shown 
to me in becoming man. But I did not yet understand 
the sufficiency of His sufferings and death. The wretched- 
ness and weakness of my nature were not fully revealed to 
me ; I wanted to do something myself towards my salva- 
tion. But at length one day I was so deeply affected at 
all that my Creator had suffered for me that I shed floods 
of tears, and I felt myself drawn more closely and tenderly 
than ever. I spoke to Him when I was alone, and I firmly 
believed that He was near me, and used to say : He is 
God, and will perfectly understand me even when I cannot 
explain myself. He knows tvhat I want to tell Him. I 
have enjoyed this close personal intercourse with Jesus for 
fifty years, and I feel the happiness of it more and more 
every day I live." 

This living faith yielded its fruits ; and the child sought 



EARLY DAYS. 



17 



to bear testimony to it by the whole of his conduct. He 
readily confessed his faults, and made efforts to correct 
them ; he tried to make himself useful to those about him, 
and was always thankful for any attention shown him, 
while his heart and his hands were open to every one. 
The first time a little money was given him for his own 
trifling indulgences, he gave the whole of it away to the 
first person he met. 

This early spiritual development did not exclude the 
playfulness natural to his age, but the love that filled his 
heart manifested itself even in his childish games. When 
he happened to get hold of some paper and a pen and ink, 
he wrote letters to his invisible Friend, and used to open 
the window and throw them to the winds, without a doubt 
that they would reach their destination. At another time 
he would assemble the inmates of the house to speak to 
them about the Saviour ; or, if he could not get a con- 
gregation together, he arranged the chairs in front of him, 
and preached to them. His feelings were such that it 
seemed as if he must communicate them to some one. 

Young as he was, he had to fight many a battle with 
doubt ; but he came off a conqueror. " I was in my eighth 
year," he says, " when one evening a hymn that my grand- 
mother had sung before she retired to rest threw me into 
such a train of thought, and then into such deep specula- 
tions, that I could not sleep all night. The most refined 
subtleties of atheism unfolded themselves in my soul, and 
they so completely mastered me for the time, that all the 
sceptical arguments I have met with since then seem power- 
less in comparison, and fail to make any impression upon 

B 



18 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



me. But my heart clung to Jesus, and I often thought 
that, even if it were possible that there should be another 
God besides my Saviour, I would rather go to perdition 
with Jesus than be in heaven with any one else. The 
infidel objections that I have encountered in later years 
have done me no harm beyond annoying me and keeping 
me awake ; they have never touched my heart. The Son 
of God is my Saviour. / am as sure of this as I am of 
my five fingers. I had loved Him for so many years, I 
had so often called on His name, I had had so many expe- 
riences — sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter, — so many 
mercies, so many chastisements, and so many answers to 
prayer, that I could not forsake Him now. What I be- 
lieved was dear to me, though what I thought was hateful ; 
and I firmly resolved to use my reason in human things, 
and to cultivate it as much as possible, but in spiritual 
things to hold simply to the truth that my heart had seized, 
making all other truths rest upon it, and at once rejecting 
whatever I could . not deduce from it. It was thus that 
God was pleased to create within me the determination not 
to waste my life on vain and empty speculations, but to 
concern myself with things that edify, and to seek such 
close communion with Him as would make all my thoughts 
of Him sweet and happy, leaving the deeper knowledge of 
these mysteries to the time when I should be riper for it." 

Before he was ten years old he formed the purpose of 
studying theology, and fixed his mind on becoming a 
preacher of the gospel. " But," he observes, " the Lord 
appointed quite a different career for me, till I was in my 
tfnrty-fourth year. Why, He knows." 



EAELY DAYS. 



19 



In accordance with the plans of his mother, his grand- 
mother, and his aunt, Zinzendorf was destined to hold high 
office in the state, as his father and grandfather had done 
before him. With a view to give him an education befit- 
ting his rank, and at the same time to place him under 
Christian influence, the college at Halle, called the Pseda- 
gogium, was chosen as the scene of his early studies, and 
thither he was conducted by his grandmother in 1710. 



CHAPTEE II. 



HALLE AND WITTEMBERG. 

Among the most remarkable practical results of Spener's 
teaching was the Orphan House, founded at Halle by the 
pious Professor Franke. The history of the foundation of 
this establishment is a marvellous page in the annals of the 
faith. Franke got a few poor cast-off children round him 
to teach them, and gave them such aid as his scanty re- 
sources permitted. One day a benevolent person made him 
a present of seven florins for his little pensioners, and he 
was so encouraged by this that he determined to extend his 
efforts. He started an institution for orphans, and it soon 
grew to such proportions as surpassed all other establish- 
* ments of a similar kind. To the house for orphans other 
schools were gradually added, and at length a college 
sprang up, under the name of the Pceclagogium, into which 
Zinzendorf was now received.* 

The pedagogues of those days were strangers to the in- 
dulgent notions of modern times. The rough chscipline of 

* Baron Canstein, another disciple of Spener's, subsequently joined in 
this work, devoted his fortune to it, and added to Franke's establishments 
a Biblical Institute, designed to promote the circulation of the Scriptures, 
by publishing them at a price that rendered them accessible to all classes. 
This establishment and those of Franke still exist. 



HALLE AND WITTEMBERG. 



21 



the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries still prevailed, and 
perhaps it was more severely carried out in the Peedago- 
gium than anywhere else ; for the entire corruption of 
human nature being the fundamental doctrine of Pietism, 
education in Halle was nothing but a constant warfare with 
nature, in order to humble and subdue it. 

Zinzendorf came in for a full share of this pitiless treat- 
ment. 

When he arrived in Halle, he was introduced to Pro- 
fessor Franke as " a very sharp and intelligent youth who 
must be held with a tight rein, for fear of his becoming * 
proud, and presuming too much upon his abilities." And * 
his masters did not fail to take the hint. They affected a 
preference for others much less advanced than himself ; 
they punished him most severely for the slightest fault ; 
they charged him with motives that were utterly foreign to 
his character ; and they even took every means to make 
him appear ridiculous in the eyes of his companions. 

With all their severity, however, the professors were 
actuated by a sincere love for those on whom they prac- 
tised it ; and this may have rendered it the less difficult to 
bear. 

But the greatest torture that Zinzendorf had to endure 
arose from the governors appointed by his relatives. He 
himself describes Hofmann and Crisenius, who succes- 
sively filled this office, as hypocrites, who treated him in 
the most absurd and barbarous manner. But he was not 
to be daunted by these sufferings. " They will not crush 
me," he exclaimed, " but raise me up ! " Hce contumelies, 
me non frangent, sed erigent. 



22 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Indeed his heart was so completely under the sway of 
one passion, that he cared little for outward things. The 
cause of Christ was all in all to him, and he was strength- 
ened in his devotion to it by an alliance which he formed 
with some young men who entertained the same feelings. 
They were accustomed to meet frequently for mutual edifi- 
cation, when they submitted their conduct to the test of 
the Scriptures, encouraged each other to persevere in the 
path of life, and united in fervent pleadings with " the in- 
visible Majesty/' to use Zinzendorf's own words, " whom 
we sometimes called our Love, sometimes our Brother, and 
our Husband, for we knew that all these names belonged 
to Him." " We ashed Him," he continues, " for all that we 
wanted ; and above all we entreated Him to make us what 
He would have us to be." 

Seven associations of this kind were successively formed 
in Halle dining Zinzendorf's stay in that city, and in every 
one of them he was the most assiduous of all the members, 
and the last that remained. But he did not stop there. 
The romantic tendency of his imagination, which mani- 
fested itself in his religious history, inspired him with the 
idea of founding a sort of spiritual knighthood. The 
members of this order at first took the title of Slaves of 
Virtue, then they styled themselves Confessors of Christ, 
and at length they became known as the Order of the 
Grain of Mustard Seed. Their statutes, which are still 
preserved, bound them to confess the doctrine of Jesus 
faithfully in then words and then- conduct, to exercise love 
towards their neighbours, and to seek the conversion of 
others, including both the Jews and the heathen. The 



HALLE AND WITTEMBEEG. 



23 



insignia of the order consisted of a medal engraved with 
an Ecce Homo, and the words Nostra medela, (in allusion 
to Isaiah li.,) as well as a ring, on which the passage, 
(Eom. xiv. 7,) " None of us liveth to himself was in- 
scribed. In the centre of the cross* worn by the chief of 
the order, a mustard-plant grown into a large tree was 
painted, with the motto, Quod fuit ante nihil, (which be- 
fore was nothing.) 

At a subsequent period, when the members were dis- 
persed in France, Switzerland, Holland, and Hungary, the 
Count endeavoured for a long time to keep up the bond of 
union by mutual correspondence. 

Among the special friends of Zinzendorf was a young 
Swiss baron, Frederick Watteville, of Berne. Speaking of 
this youth and himself , he says : — 

"In 1715, two young students united in a pledge to 
labour for the conversion of the heathen, and especially 
for those whom nobody else cared for. Their idea was not 
to accomplish this by their own personal efforts, for both of 
them were intended by their parents for high stations in the 
world, and had no choice but to obey. But they hoped that, 
as G-od had raised up Franke to assist Baron Canstein, so 
He would provide the men to carry out this undertaking." 

" All these associations," he observes further on, " were 
. regarded by some persons as childish fancies, and by others 
as the offspring of pride. But God knows that I never 

* We have seen this cross and several rings at Herrnhut, in the archives 
of the United Brethren. The statutes of the order are to be found in the 
second volume of the Biidingsche Sammlung. The first article reads 
thus : " The members of our society will love the whole human family." 



24 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



« sought any glory; on the contrary, I well knew that I 
should only be ridiculed." 

Although the thorough individuality of Zinzendorfs 
character strongly marked all his doings at this period, we 
must not overlook the influence of the atmosphere in which 
he lived. The little associations that we have described 
were only an imitation of Spener's collegia pietatis, (unions 
of piety.) The Pietists had done much to rouse the zeal 
of the Church, for the conversion of the heathen, and 
Zinzendorf himself ascribed some of his own deepest im- 
pressions, as to the importance of this great cause, to 
the meetings he attended in Halle. There he not only 
witnessed the holy activity of Franke, but he met with 
missionaries from all parts of the world, and listened to 
details concerning the progress of Christ's kingdom, and 
the heroic sufferings of persecuted converts, that thrilled 
his whole soul, and stirred it into a flame of sacred en- 
thusiasm. Among the early characteristics of Zinzendorfs 
mind was his talent for poetry. Poetical composition was 
his favourite recreation, or rather, it was his most natural 
mode of expressing his thoughts. He had an easy flow 
of language, and wrote with great spirit, and surprising 
rapidity. This remarkable gift was a valuable auxiliary 
in his labours. Every feast of the Church of the Brethren, 
every anniversary, and every occurrence that he wished 
specially to mark, was commemorated by a hymn com- 
posed for the occasion ; and the feelings of his own soul, 
to which he thus gave utterance, as they passed from lip 
to lip on the wings of poetry and song, soon became the 
common sentiments of all the members of the Church. 



HALLE AND WITTEMBEEG. 



25 



Although the narrow spirit of some of the Pietists in 
Halle led them to conceive a prejudice against the young 
Count, Franke was not the man to cherish an antipathy of 
this kind. The noble and upright character of Zinzendorf, 
and his sincere and earnest piety, eventually dissipated 
Franke s suspicions, and led him openly to predict that 
this youth would be a great light in the Church. But 
although many of the professors formed intimate friend- 
ships with him, unfortunately the dislike entertained by 
others grew into actual hatred ; and this was the germ of 
the hostility afterwards displayed by the Pietists towards 
the Moravian Brethren. 

What had been said to Franke about young Zinzendorf s 
pride and presumption was not altogether without founda- 
tion. He was proud of his rank and his talents ; and the 
systematic severity to which he had been subjected had 
tended to foster this feeling. " I could hardly help," he 
says, " thinking myself of extraordinary importance when 
I saw what special measures were deemed necessary to 
reduce me. It was in the year 1715 that God struck the 
first blow at my natural pride. A large public assembly 
was about to be held at the Psedagogium, at which the 
margraves of Bayreuth, the university of Halle, and many 
distinguished personages, were to be present ; and the stu- 
dents had to deliver speeches in Latin, German, French, 
and Greek. I presumed too much on my own powers to 
take the trouble to commit mine to memory, flattering 
myself that, as I had composed it, I could recollect it 
whenever I wanted it. But, as it was, my memory failed 
me, and I all but broke down. The audience did no 



26 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



perceive it, though I was very much confused ; but I 
recognised in this incident a Divine dispensation. From 
that time I rehnquished my anxiety to excel, and con- 
tented myself with simply doing my duty." 

By the time he was sixteen, Zinzendorf had made rapid 
progress in his studies ; and being considered sufficiently 
advanced to enter the university, at the beginning of the 
month of April 1716, he delivered a beautiful farewell 
Latin oration, and took his departure from the college, to 
spend some weeks with his grandmother at Gross-Henners- 
dorf , where he passed most of his time in the castle library, 
reading the writings of Luther, and other theological works, 
and composing German and Latin verses. Crisenius, who 
still accompanied him as his governor, also gave him some 
instruction, and he received not a few wise counsels from 
his grandmother in the prospect of his residence at the 
university. 

His next visit was to his uncle, the General, at Gaver- 
nitz, who, as his. guardian, now claimed the entire control 
of his education. In spite of Zinzendorf s ardent desire to 
devote himself to theological pursuits, his uncle wished him 
to enter upon the study of law, with a view to fit himself 
for public business, and he also wished to choose the uni- 
versity to which he was to repair. 

The universities of Halle and Wittemberg, which now 
constitute one foundation, then represented two rival 
schools. While Halle was the centre of Pietism, Wittem- 
berg, considering itself the rightful guardian of the tradi- 
tions of the Keformers, maintained Lutheran orthodoxy in 
its purity. Just at that moment, too, Lutheranism had 



HALLE AND WITTEMBERG. 



27 



been somewhat revived by the preparations for the jubilee 
of the [Reformation that was to take place in the following 
year (1717.) 

Zinzenclorf , having been trained up from his infancy in 
the doctrines of Spener, all his sympathies drew him to- 
wards Halle. But the General preferred sending him to 
Wittemberg, and, hard as this decision might appear to 
the young student, he submitted without any resistance ; 
and we believe he was rewarded, for his stay at this uni- 
versity certainly had the most beneficial influence on his 
after life. The comparison that he was enabled to make 
between two different systems enlarged his own ideas, and 
raised him to a higher point of view than his teachers had 
reached. Had he remained at Halle, it is not likely that 
he would have become anything more than a successor of 
Spener. But, as it was, he rose above both Pietism and 
Lutheranism, and attained a more extensive, deeper, and 
more spiritual knowledge of the gospel than almost any 
other Christian of his time. 

" My uncle," says Zinzendorf, " undertook the task of 
changing my nature, or at least he endeavoured to put my 
head on in a new fashion." And in fact, the old General, 
not content with making Hm addict himself to studies 
opposed to his tastes, thought he ought to put every part 
of his nephew's conduct under minute regulation, and sent 
him written rules to which he was to conform with military 
precision. His governor was invested with full powers to 
see these instructions carried out. 

On the 25th of August 1716, Zinzendorf arrived at 
Wittemberg with his governor, a lodging having been pre- 



28 



THE BANISHED C0T7ST. 



pared for him at the burgomaster's, in accordance with, his 
rank. On the 7th of September, he went before the proc- 
tor to matriculate, and a little circumstance, on this occa- 
sion, showed his independence of mind, and his scrupulous 
fidelity to the precepts of the gospel, as he understood them. 
When the academical oath was administered to him, he 
said. :: I do not swear, but I promise!' and he finished in 
a clear and forcible tone with the words — :; Jle Dens ad- 
jv.vet." God help me ! 

When it was known at Halle that Zinzendorf was study- 
ing at Wittemberg. everybody was greatly scandalised. 
Xobody for a moment thought of his being irresjjonsible 
for the arrangement, and he was universally condemned 
for his ingratitude both to Spener and to Franke. 

But Zinzendorf continued as much attached as ever to 
his former instructors. He felt himself a stranger at Wit- 
temberg, and he himself says he was always a strict Pietist, 
Whenever the theologians of Halle were attacked, he took 
then part, warmly defending their principles and their 
motives, and submitting to a good deal of reproach for 
then sake. He not only read Franke' s works, but dissemi- 
nated them, and one of them on Prayer he translated ; 
besides which, he wrote several religious tracts, and among 
others one A ga inst the doctrine of indifferent works. He 
even delivered a public eulogium on Spener. 

This was not enough to satisfy the prevailing feeling at 
Wittemberg, and efforts were made to persuade him out 
of what was called his excessive piety. But opposing ele- 
ments only served to make him a still more thorough 
Pietist. He felt that his faith was threatened, and that, in 



HALLE AND WITTEMBEEG. 



29 



spite of himself and every one else, he must be always on 
the watch lest he should lose the treasure that had been, 
up to that moment, his happiness and his life. Thus he 
lost his childlike confidence and simplicity, and as Span- 
genberg tells us, he became more legal than evangelical. 
He gave himself to ascetic exercises, spent whole nights in 
prayer and meditation, and set apart one day every week 
for fasting, and solitary study of the Word of God. Ac- 
cording to his own statement, he even took pains to load 
his poetical compositions (which were printed according to 
the practice of the universities at that time) with phrases 
that would be likely to offend, so as to set people against 
him, and to shut out all possibility of making his way in 
the world. Thus he thought he would have so much less 
temptation to fight against. 

His first year at the university must have been, as he 
describes it, one of the saddest of his life. Compelled to 
occupy himself in the study of subjects which had no at- 
traction for him, — placed under the authority of a governor 
"whose treatment would have driven him to despair or 
turned him mad, if the hand of God had not sustained 
him," — always on the watch against himself, against the 
world, and against the theology of Wittemberg, — he found 
himself completely isolated, and debarred from all com- 
munion of thought or feeling with those around him. 
Nothing could be more contrary to his loving nature and 
his need of sympathy, and it was impossible that this state 
of things should last long. In proportion as he came to 
know the Wittemberg divines, against whom he had been 
so strictly cautioned, his prejudices gave way, and he found 



so 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



that many of them, notwithstanding the difference of 
creeds, possessed the same living faith that animated the 
professors at Halle ; and he began to ask himself whether 
it might not be possible to bring about a reconciliation be- 
tween the two contending parties. The desire to see the 
children of G-od, who were scattered abroad in the world, 
or separated by mutual prejudices, united in one fold, was 
always uppermost in the heart of Zinzendorf ; and we shall 
soon see him , in spite of the formalism of his age, holding 
out the hand of friendship to his brethren of the Koman 
Catholic Church. We can easily imagine, therefore, what 
he must have suffered to see Christians in Halle and Wit* 
temberg. belonging to the same communion, wasting their 
talents, their zeal, and their strength, in persecuting one 
another, and neutralising each other's influence. 

It was a fine example of the holy courage that true faith 
inspires, when this young student, but seventeen years of 
age, set to work, single-handed, to remove these inveterate 
antipathies, and . to put an end to a religious war which 
had been embittered by thirty years of theological contro- 
versy. Zinzendorf was not blind to the difficulty of this 
undertaking, or to his own weakness in relation to so great 
a work. But he was sustained and encouraged by the 
words, "Blessed are the peacemakers;" and his first 
attempts succeeded beyond all expectation. His appeals 
were well received both in Halle and in Wittemberg, and 
he drew up a basis of agreement which he thought might 
meet both sides of the case. Wernsdorf, one of the 
leading professors at Wittemberg, expressed a desire for 
a personal conference with Franke on the subject, and 



HALLE AND WITTEMBEEG. 



31 



said that if Franke objected to come to Witteniberg, he 
would go to Halle. Zinzendorf offered in that case to 
accompany Wernsdorf, and to do his utmost to bring the 
matter to a happy conclusion. " My colleagues, as well as 
myself," wrote Franke, "will be most glad to see the Count 
at Halle, with Dr Wernsdorf, and I believe this will be far 
better than a long correspondence. I prefer, therefore, to 
await their arrival here, rather than continue negotiations 
in reference to the proposed union by letter." 

Such was the state of affairs, and every preparation had 
been made for the meeting, when Zinzendorf received a 
letter from his mother expressly forbidding his going to 
Halle. This was a base trick of Crisenius. He had written 
to Madame Natzmer informing her of her son's plans, and 
had represented them in the most unfavourable colours. 
Her anxious and timid disposition was thus wrought upon, 
and she was alarmed to think of her son taking upon him 
the responsibility of such a project. Nothing could induce 
her to give way. It was in vain that Zinzendorf entreated 
her to grant him permission to go to Halle, and although 
Franke himself wrote to her to intercede for his young 
friend, she was inflexible. Zinzendorf submitted, and 
the scheme for which he had so earnestly laboured was 
abandoned. 

In the miclst of these theological and ecclesiastical occu- 
pations, he kept closely to the course of legal studies and 
the rules of life laid down by his tutor ; besides which he 
worked at philosophy, natural science, and Hebrew. Greek 
was tolerably familiar to him, and he spoke Latin with 
remarkable facility, but French was his favourite. It was 



32 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



in this language that he wrote his diary, and most of his 
letters. The theses that he had to produce were generally 
upon some department of moral science. On one occasion 
he took as his subject the celebrated proposition of La 

» Rochefoucauld's, " Self-love is t7ie source of all our passions." 
His friends were anxious that he should perfect himself, 
while at the university, in the use of arms, riding, and 
dancing. And though these arts were devoid of interest to 
him, he complied in the spirit of obedience, and applied 
himself to them with all his might, thinking that the more 
progress he made the sooner he would be free to employ 
his time in a more useful way. He seems to have felt, 
however, that these exercises did not suit him, and that they 
involved certain temptations. " I recollect," he says, " that 
one day in the fencing-room some one presented a sword 
at me with a kind of ah that greatly irritated me, and the 
feeling lasted the whole time I was playing. I was sorry 
for it afterwards. I begged the Saviour to forgive me, 
and I resolved that, by the grace of Grod, I would watch 
against this in future." He liked only such games as 
tended to develop the intellectual powers, such as chess, 

. or others that afforded good bodily exercise. He objected 
to play for money, unless it was previously agreed that the 
gains should be given to the poor, or spent in supplying 
them with Bibles from Halle. 

Zinzendorf had not given up the idea of the ecclesiastical 
life, and when he disclosed his wish to Wernsdorf and 
Eranke, they encouraged it. What he desired above all 
things was to pursue the course that would most promote 

, the salvation of his soul ; and he thought, from all he had 



HALLE AND WITTEMBERG. 



33 



seen, that there were less dangers in the ministry than in 
, any other calling. Besides which, he was sincerely anxious 
to do something for the glory of God and the good of his 
neighbour, and he felt strongly persuaded that no other 
condition admitted of such effective labour to this end. 
He had no worldly ambition, and only aspired to be a 
- simple catechist or a village pastor. 

But his family having, as we have seen, other plans in 
view, would not hear of his purpose ; and Zinzendorf waited 
patiently, saying that if it was God's will to employ him 
for anything in His kingdom, he defied the whole world to 
prevent it. " But/' he added, " if God does not permit 
this, still I know that He does not forget me ; perhaps He 
sees that it is as much as I can do to watch over myself, 
and to labour for my own salvation." 

Zinzendorf remained at the university for two years 
* and a hah, and quitted it in the spring of 1719. It was 
thought desirable that he should travel, with a view to 
complete his legal studies in the most celebrated foreign 
schools, and especially to see the world, and to acquire the 
manners of a courtier in Paris. 



c 



CHAPTEE III. 



RESIDENCE IN PARIS. 

It was not without some distrust, says Spangenberg, that 
Zinzendorf entered upon this part of his experience. The 
little he had seen of the world during his stay in Wittem- 
berg had afforded him no satisfaction, and had only served 
to awaken his fears. He dreaded the temptations that lay 
before him ; and, if he had been left to his own choice, he 
would far rather have avoided the risk. " I wish to die 
to the world," he said ; " and why should I take so much 
pains to learn the art of Hving in it ? " But he yielded as 
usual to the wishes of his parents, though he firmly re- 
solved to Jwld fast that which he had received. " If the 
object of my being sent to France is to make me a man 
of the world," he wrote, " I declare that this is money 
thrown away ; for God will, in His goodness, preserve in 
me the desire to live only for Jesus Christ." 

It was arranged that he should first visit Holland ; and 
his half-brother having proposed to accompany him, his 
parents very gladly accepted this offer. He tells us, in his 
diary at this period, that his soul was raised above earthly 
things ; and that all the desires of his heart were fixed on 
the Saviour. "Eternity alone," he says, " filled all my 
thoughts." 



EESIDENCE IN PAKIS. 



35 



Passing through Frankfort-on-the-Maine, which was 
endeared to him by its association with Spener, who 
laboured there previously to his appointment in Dresden, 
Zinzendorf arrived at Dusseldorf, and visited its famous 
gallery of paintings. Among all the works of the great 
masters, there was only one that drew his attention. " It 
was a wonderfully expressive Ecce Homo" he says, " and 
over it the words, Hoc feci pro te; quid facis jyro me?" 

" I did all this for thee ; 
What dost thou for me ? " 

" I felt," he adds, " that I had but little to say in answer 
to this question, and I begged my Saviour to force me to 
suffer with Him, if I did not willingly consent to it." 

On the 26th of May 1719, his nineteenth birthday, 
Zinzendorf reached Utrecht ; and after a peep at the prin- 
cipal Dutch cities, he retraced his steps to Utrecht, where 
he was to stay for some few months, in attendance at the 
university, his brother having left him and returned to 
Saxony. Here he continued the study of law, and seems 
to have been more interested in the lectures he heard than 
in those of the professors at Wittemberg ; but he applied 
himself to a variety of other subjects, and among the rest 
to medicine, which had always had a great attraction for 
him. And it was here that he learnt English. 

During his residence in Holland, Zinzendorf s health, 
which had always been delicate, was subject to frequent 
interruptions, which had their effect upon the state of his 
mind, and tended to fix his thoughts more than ever on 
the life to come. It was then that he adopted his motto, 
JEternitate. The intelligence of the death of his step- 



36 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



father, Baron Canstein, deeply impressed him, and led 
him to meditate much on the heavenly rest prepared for 
the children of God. Canstein had been the guardian of 
the institutions founded by Franke, and he was Zinzen- 
dorf s ideal. The thoughts recorded by his young relative, 
on hearing of his death, are significant as showing the 
views he entertained and continued to cherish concerning 
that most solemn of all human events. After admitting 
that death is a terrible object, and calculated to make our 
nature tremble, he proceeds to express his astonishment 
that the saints of old should have had the weakness to dread 
it. " How could they," he asks, " like wearing the yoke 
« so long ? There was Hezekiah, a hero of the faith, and a 
man who did the will of God : Isaiah comes and tells him 
that God has determined to release him from his prison, 
and to receive him into His heavenly kingdom. One would 
expect to see this monarch, who had passed through so 
many trials, weeping for joy, and not for sorrow, at the 
tidings that he was about to escape from the miseries of 
this life. But — who would have thought it ? — he actually 
desires to remain in his prison ! " 

" Take courage,children of God," he says, in conclusion. 
" The more boldly you look death in the face, the better 
you will see that he cannot hurt you. Does He not dwell 
within you who did not see corruption?" The calm and 
happy view of death thus expressed was so natural and so 
dear to Zinzendorf , that it was communicated to all who 
were intimate with him, and has been perpetuated to 
our own times in the Church of the United Brethren. 
Among the great personages with whom Zinzendorf came 



EESIDENCE IN PAEIS. 



37 



in contact during his stay in Holland were Count Lippe, 
a Prince of Nassau, Prince Tremouille, and the Princess 
of Orange, who gave him a distinguished reception. And 
among the learned men whose acquaintance he made, we 
may mention the famous French theologian and historian, 
James Basnage. " I was glad," he says, " to become 
acquainted with this great man. He recognised the truth . 
even in the opposite party." 

The intercourse he enjoyed, while at this university, 
with the most eminent men of the Keformed Communion 
had the happiest effect upon his theological views. Just 
as at Wittemberg he lost the extreme prejudices which 
he had contracted at Halle against the Lutherans, so in 
Utrecht he was not long in perceiving the essential union 
that existed between the Lutherans and the Keformed, 
hostile as they were. And we shall soon see him taking 
another step in advance in Paris, where he formed the 
most affectionate fraternal intimacy with the high digni- 
taries of the Koman Catholic hierarchy, and sought to 
realise the unity of the whole Christian Church. 

In his labours at this period, and subsequently, to bring 
the members of different Christian communions nearer to 
each other, Zinzendorf no longer thought of such a fusion 
or formal agreement as he had recently dreamt of between 
the orthodox and the Pietists. There were many noble 
spirits in that age who indulged this visionary hope, and 
failed in their efforts to bring such a consummation to 
pass. But Zinzendorf did not wait to discuss differences 
of doctrine before he held out his hand to a member of 
another Church. He now regarded Jesus Christ as the . 



38 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



• one central object in the gospel, and as constituting the 
abiding bond of union in the Church of all ages and all 
countries. And hence he could live in perfect communion 
with Christians of every denomination while holding faith- 
fully to the distinctive principles which he believed to be 
true. 

Another favourable result of his mingling with such in- 
telligent men, and encountering such various opinions in 
Holland, was the check put upon his natural presumption. 

" When I came to Utrecht he- observes, " I belonged 
to Wittemberg in theory, and to Halle in practice ; so 
that I was a singular specimen of a young traveller, with 
a good many curious points about me, that might have 
afforded some instruction to any one who chose to study 
them. In Utrecht I had to do with Eeformers, and with 
philosophers of all sorts. I began by endeavouring to cope 
with them in rather a boisterous fashion ; but by degrees I 
became so tamed that I finished by Kstening to them ; and, 
although knowing that we belonged to totally different 
schools, I felt that I must either keep my sentiments to 
myself, or find better arguments in their defence than I 
had been accustomed to use ; for frequently, in the dis 
cussion, I had not courage to bring forward my strongest 
arguments ; and I often thought, at the outset, that my 
opponents were better equipped to fight for error than I 
was to uphold the truth. Hence I was compelled to beat 
a retreat, and to let my opponents have the last word — a 
practice which led some persons to give me credit for bein 
a modest young man." 

In the beginning of September, Zinzendorf left Utrecht, 



EESIDENCE IN PARIS. 



S9 



and repaired to Amsterdam and the Hague ; after which 
he made rapid visits to Kotterdam, Antwerp, Marines, 
Brussels, Valenciennes, and Carabray ; and thence bent his 
steps towards Paris, where he arrived on the 27th of Sep- 
tember 1719, and put up at the Hotel des Escarelles, in 
the Kue St Honore. 

At that moment France was passing through one of the 
most exciting periods of her changeful history. The city 
and the court, weary of the solemn monotony of the reign 
that had just closed, followed headlong in the wake of the 
regent, and rushed into a giddy whirl of pleasures and 
visionary novelties. 

It was the time when Law's bank was intoxicating all 
classes with a perfect fury for speculation, and the street 
Quincampois was crowded with foreigners from all parts of 
the compass, who came flocking to Paris, and jostled the 
Parisians in the scramble for Mississippi shares. During 
the six months that Zinzendorf spent in the French capital 
he saw the rise and fall of this extraordinary scheme. 

The Church, too, partook of the general excitement. 
The Bull Unigenitus and the affair of the Appellants were 
occupying universal attention ; and Zinzendorf witnessed 
the dying struggle and final extinction of French liberty. 
Hence a vast field of observation and study must have 
presented itself to a young man of naturally quick discern- 
ment, having access, by right of noble birth, to the highest 
circles of Parisian society, and prepared by his religious 
and theological training to enter into the theological ques- 
tions that were then agitating the public mind. Though 
his stay was short, it was singularly eventful, and formed 



40 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



one of the most important chapters of his life. It is need- 
less to say what temptations must have been in store for a 
young man of nineteen, with his naturally ardent feelings 
and exuberant imagination, possessing so many outward 
advantages, and universally loved and sought after. But 
the fact that he was kept faithful to his principles, and 
preserved from the seductions of the world, is a most in- 
structive testimony to the power of his convictions. His 
plan was to seek out only those individuals in whom he 
could recognise the Saviour's grace, and to have no in- 
timacy with any that did not appear to him worthy of his 
entire confidence. As to those who would have drawn 
him into evil, he says, " I held them at arm's length with- 
out the slightest compromise ; and I seized the first oppor- 
tunity of undeceiving them once for all." 

He was delighted to meet with men of honest minds, 
both among the prelates and the monks, and he also made 
the acquaintance of some ladies " who had grace." " The 
time," he remarks, " did not appear to me long. On the 
contrary, I regretted that I was obliged to leave so soon. 
I was then very much under the law, and I have often 
since wondered at the patience of my friends, and especially 
of Cardinal de Noailles, who had to bear with my strange 
humour. For I wanted to enforce upon them what I be- 
lieved to be true, and I was ready to break with my dearest 
friend at any moment, if I thought he could not be trusted 
in the Lord's cause. People did not know what category 
to put me in, for there was nothing extraordinary in my 
outward deportment, except that I did not dance at court, 
and did not gamble in Paris. Some persons gave it as 



EESIDENCE IN PAEIS. 



41 



their opinion that I had retained my childish innocence. 
Those who thought ill of me took me for a Pietist, and the 
Pietists would not own me. I could have known all that 
awaited me there. I believe nothing would have induced 
me to remain an instant in that scene of temptation/' 

Zinzendorf did not spend much time on the sights of 
Paris. " Some things," he says, " to which people devote 
whole days, I saw quite enough of in a few hours." The 
Hotel-Dieu interested him more than Versailles. But he 
hastened to parcel out his time to the best advantage ; for , 
poet as he was, he was remarkable for the gift of order and 
arrangement. The morning he gave to business ; in the 
afternoon he pursued the study of law and the French 
language ; and he spent the evening in society. 

For some time, however, after his arrival, he was con- 
fined to his room by serious illness, and thus left at liberty 
for his favourite occupations, — namely, the composition of 
sacred poetry, and reading theological books. 

The first friend that Zinzendorf met with in Paris was 
Count Eeuss, whom he had known before, and who after- 
wards became his brother-in-law. Then he found out 
Nicholas Watteville, the brother of his friend and fellow- 
student, Frederick Watteville, and was next introduced 
to Count Linange, the Princes of Gotha, Prince Schwarz- 
burg-Sondershausen, the Swedish ambassador, and the 
celebrated Lord Stair, who showed a great regard for him. 
Among other French noblemen who received him, Cardinal 
Bussy and Marshal Yillars may be named. It was Mar- 
shal Villars who presented him at court, and introduced 
him to the mother of the regent. This lady, who was a 



42 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



daughter of the unfortunate Elector-Palatinate Charles- 
Louis of Bavaria, appears to have been a singularly in- 
teresting and original character. Her somewhat stiff pro- 
priety of manner, her rigid aristocratic principles, her sin- 
cere piety, and her German habits and tastes, strongly 
contrasted with the free-and-easy ways of her son, who was 
thoroughly French in his vices as well as in his amiable 
and shining qualities. Though she lived nearly half-a- 
century at the court of France, she always considered 
herself an exile ; amidst the gaieties of the Palais Koyal, 
she longed for the rural happiness of Heidelberg, and it is 
said that she spent the greater part of her life in writing 
to her friends in Germany. 

The duchess received Zinzendorf as a fellow-country- 
man, and recollected that she had known his father and 
his uncle more than forty years before. She often con- 
versed with him for hours together, and expressed great 
admiration for his piety and his blameless life. " I al- 
ways remember with profit," he remarks, "the serious 
and truly Christian exhortations that I have heard her 
give her young son, the Duke de Chartres, who was at 
that time a very irreligious prince. On one occasion she 
asked him why he did not live as I did, telling him that I 
was a young man and a gentleman like himself, but that 
that did not prevent me from loving God with all my 
» heart, and she was sure that I was a thousand times hap- 
pier than he." 

" Last Tuesday," the Count wrote to his mother, " when 
I went to see the duchess, she said to me, in German, 
' Good evening, Count ! Were you at the opera yesterday?' 



RESIDENCE IN PARIS. 



43 



' No, madam/ I replied ; ' I have no time to go to the 
opera/ ' I hear/ she resumed, ' that you know the Holy 
Scriptures almost by heart.' ' I wish I did/ I replied, 
c and that I acted accordingly. But who told your high- 
ness ?' 1 1 do not recollect/ she said. While we were 
discussing who it could be, some one present exclaimed, 
' Why, everybody says so/ and her ladyship confirmed it." 

The affair of the Count de Horn was then on every one's 
lips. It was one of the sad results of the reckless stock- 
jobbing of that period. The young Count de Horn, who 
was a member of an illustrious house, connected by ties of 
relationship with most of the sovereigns of Europe, had 
allured a mechanic into a tavern, and made him tipsy, for 
the purpose of robbing him. In spite of the appeals made 
by some of the highest personages of the realm, the regent 
determined that justice should take its course ; and four 
days after the commission of the crime, the culprit was 
broken on the wheel in the Place de Greve. 

This ignominious punishment of a nobleman threw all 
the aristocratic classes into commotion, and the duchess 
herself did not approve of it. " It is useless/' she remarked, 
" merely to say that it is always a sad thing to make an 
example of this kind." " It is to the honour of the regent," 
replied Zinzendorf, " to administer justice towards all; and 
we counts are specially interested in his doing so. I do 
not see that the dignity of our rank is more injured by the 
punishment than by the crime. The family of a gentle- 
man is not dishonoured by his suffering death for a good 
cause ; but a crime like that is a disgrace. People put , 
confidence in a count, and certain actions are supposed to 



44 THE BANISHED COUNT. 

be so beneath him, that they would not even occur to his 
mind. So that, if a count steals or commits murder, he 
ought to be punished publicly, and more severely than 
other criminals/' 

The duchess herself introduced Zinzendorf to the 
regent, who received him with his accustomed affability. 
But these marks of distinction did not turn the young 
man's head. " I regarded them," he says, " with fear and 
trembling, as dangerous allurements ; and I thank God that 

, whenever pride sought to gain the mastery, He humbled 
me in the dust under His paternal hand." " On one oc- 
casion," he continues, in reference to a point of court 
etiquette, "my honour was wounded, and I carried the 
matter so far that on the following day, which happened 
to be Good-Friday, I lodged a complaint against the 
master of the ceremonies, and demanded satisfaction. I 
was promised that my rights should be duly observed. 
But on considering my conduct more maturely, I saw that 
my pride was not yet dead; and the discovery deeply 
humbled me. I promised my Saviour, with tears, from 
this time to follow the example of His humility ; and I 
came to the conclusion that I could not serve His kingdom 
while retaining the advantages of my position in the world. 
From that day to this, my opinion as to earthly honours 

, and distinctions has remained unaltered, and the reproach 
of Christ is still my joy." 

Zinzendorf did not at first feel much disposed to have 
any intercourse with the chiefs of the French clergy. 
He was shocked at the vices of some of them ; and their 
rude ostentation was out of all keeping with his idea of 



EESIDENCE IN PAEIS. 



45 



their holy calling. But having occasionally met with Pere 
de la Tour, the general of the Congregation of the Ora- 
toire, he found him to be a sincere Christian, and an in- 
timate friendship sprang up between them. La Tour 
introduced him to Cardinal Noailles, who received him 
very cordially, and was so pleased with him that their first 
interview lasted for three hours and a half. This visit was 
followed by many others. The young count was often 
invited to the cardinars table, and a warm affection soon 
began to exist on both sides. Zinzendorf used to read to 
his aged friend the letters he received from his grand- 
mother, his mother, and his aunt ; and the old man was 
delighted. At first the cardinal endeavoured to bring him 
over to the Catholic faith ; but he soon gave up the at- 
tempt, at least for the time, and assured him that he would 
love him with all his heart as a child of God, apart from 
any idea of controversy. 

Zinzendorf bears repeated testimony to the tolerant spirit 
manifested by Cardinal Noailles, and by other French 
ecclesiastics. 

" I found the same thing," he says, " among the Catholics 
in France as I had done among some of the Protestants 
in Holland. They seldom used the arguments I had seen 
attributed to them in books ; but instead of them they 
advanced others that were quite new to me, some of which 
I thought would be perfectly unanswerable, in opposition 

to certain enemies of our Church I must say, to 

the credit of them all, that when they found they were 
dealing with a man who disliked religious discussion, they 
completely abandoned it, and plunged with me into the 



46 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



. unfathomable ocean of the sufferings and merits of Jesus, 
and the grace that He has obtained for us." 

Cardinal Noailles, Archbishop of Paris, was at this time 
the only hope of the Jansenists, and the last stay of liberty 
of conscience within the Gallican Church. So that all 
eyes were fixed upon him ; and, in fact, it was a critical 
moment for the Church of France. 

The doctrine of gratuitous salvation through faith, as 
laid down by the apostle Paul, developed by St Augustine, 
and reduced to fixed formula by Thomas Aquinas, main- 
tained its place during the middle ages side by side with 
the Semi-Pelagianism of that period. The Dominicans 
were the representatives of Augustinianism, and the Fran- 
ciscans of the opposite system. Up to the sixteenth cen- 
tury, no ecclesiastical authority had been exercised in 
favour of either side. But the Eeformation led the Church 
to pronounce against Luther and Calvin, both of whom 

- closely followed Augustine. The Council of Trent, while 
clothing its decrees in a certain amount of diplomatic ob- 
scurity, turned the balance the other way ; but it did not 
destroy Augustinianism even within the Catholic Church. 
The condemned doctrines were boldly defended by certain 
theologians of the university of Louvain ; and in the seven- 
teenth century, Jansenius again put them forward. 

Jansenism, as it was then called, was represented in 

* France by the Abbe St Cyran, and the convent of Port- 
Koyal. Learning, genius, and personal sanctity crowned it 
with a threefold glory that rendered it peculiarly hateful 

■> to the Jesuits, who were its most implacable foes. After 
a long process of intrigues, they succeeded in obtaining its 



EESIDENCE IN PAKIS. 



47 



condemnation, and Port-Koyal, the renowned refuge of 
Arnauld, Pascal, and Eacine, was razed to the ground. 

But the vengeance of the J esuits was not yet satisfied. 
There were many, among the higher clergy in France, who 
still stood opposed to their creed, and it was important to 
get rid of them. Pope Clement XI. was easily persuaded 
to proceed against them, as he considered it a favourable 
juncture for the utter destruction of the liberties of the 
Gallican Church. 

A commentary on the New Testament, published by 
Pere Quesnel, served as a pretext for this final blow. The 
Pope and the Jesuits joined in the work, and the famous 
Bull Unigenitus soon appeared, condemning Quesnel's 
book, and declaring a hundred and one propositions con- 
tained in it heretical. Among these propositions were not 
only those that agreed with the views of Jansenius and 
Augustine, but others that were only objected to on the 
ground that they tended to promote the reading of the 
Holy Scriptures, or favoured the religious liberties of 
France. The meshes of the net were made so close as to 
preclude all chance of escape. 

This bull, as might be expected, was followed by a long 
series of troubles ; and the parliament refused to enrol it 
till actually compelled to do so, after several presidents 
had been successively dismissed. JSToailles and other 
bishops refused to receive the bull till certain explana- 
tions, which they thought requisite, had been obtained 
from Kome. The Pope threatened to depose and excom- 
municate them. They held a council ; but the Pope was 
immovable; and the French clergy then became divided 



48 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



into two parties, the Appellants and the Acceptants. Such 
was the state of affairs when Zinzendorf became acquainted 
with the Archbishop of Paris. 

In less troublous times, and under more auspicious cir- 
cumstances, ISToailles would have been a model bishop. His 
piety and learning commanded universal esteem, and his 
amiable disposition and charming manners won all hearts. 
He did not plume himself on his high rank or official 
dignity ; but laid h im self out for the interests of his dio- 
cese, and endeavoured to employ his revenues " in such a 
manner," as he states, " that he might be found faithful 
when the Father of the family came to require his ac- 
count." The most prominent feature of his character was 
a love of peace ; which, unfortunately, was not always ac- 
companied by sufficient firmness, and sometimes led him 
to make concessions with regard to principles which it was 
his duty to uphold. 

Up to this time the cardinal had held out in his opposi- 
tion to the bull; but there was reason to fear that he 
might grow weary of the conflict, or give way to a mis- 
taken spirit of conciliation, and eventually abandon the 
party. Zinzendorf soon became alive to his friend's in- 
firmity, and on two occasions, with the generous indiscre- 
tion of his youth, took it upon him to lay down the law to 
the aged prelate, and entreated him not to desert the cause 
of Christ, or to allow any questions of self-interest to be 
weighed in the balance with the welfare of the Church of 
God. Noailles listened to the exhortations of the young 
Count, and promised him not to consent to any compro- 
mise " without providing for the safety of the truth." 



RESIDENCE IN PARIS. 



49 



The cause of the Jansenists, however, was almost de- 
spaired of. They had appealed to a council, and though 
the request was denied them, it might have been safely 
predicted that if the council had met, it would have done 
them no more justice than the Pope himself ; for when the 
foreign bishops were consulted on the subject of the bull, 
they all gave in their adhesion to it. The issue of the 
matter eventually depended on the French Government, 
and it was a question whether it would carry out the 
decrees of the Pope, or make a stand on behalf of the 
liberties of the Gallican Church. With a pontiff like 
Clement XI. resistance would have involved a rupture, 
and this the regent wished to avoid. Accordingly he 
himself submitted, and he commanded every one else to 
do so. The bishops who refused to comply were deposed. 

Cardinal Noailles, tired of contention, and perhaps 
afraid of finding himself at the head of an actual schism, 
at length gave way. He signed his adhesion, though with 
certain restrictive clauses. The news was a sad blow to 
Zinzendorf. He felt it his duty at once to break with a 
man whose fidelity to the cause of the Saviour had thus 
been laid open to suspicion, and he immediately wrote him 
a farewell letter, breathing an affectionate and respectful 
spirit, but renouncing further intercourse " during this sad 
life." In spite of this, however, their friendship was not 
altogether suspended ; and we find the Count, on his re- 
turn to Germany, addressing a letter of condolence to the 
archbishop, whose brother, the bishop of Chalons, had just 
died. In this letter he solicited permission to dedicate to 
the archbishop a French translation of a work of J. Arndt, 

D 



50 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



entitled, True Christianity. The reply of Noailles to 
both of these letters has been preserved, and shows that he 
still retained his attachment to his young friend, and had 
not yet abandoned the hope of winning him over to the 
Church of Eome. 

It would seem that Zinzendorf must have forgotten the 
cardinal's refusal of his request, for when his work was 
finished he dedicated it to Noailles, and got his friend 
Frederick Watteville to present it to him. The prelate 
was pleased with the book ; but the appearance of his 
name, as sanctioning a Protestant work, was an anomaly 
that occasioned him some little perplexity. 

Zinzendorf s residence in Paris, though of short duration, 
had an important influence upon his after -history. His 
intercourse with the dignitaries of the Eomish Church was 
not confined to Pere de la Tom and Cardinal Noailles. 
The bishops of Chalons, Montpellier, and Boulogne, Pere 
d'Albizi, and many other distinguished ecclesiastics, had 
made him their associate, and it was not without feelings 
of regret that he turned his back upon the French metro- 
polis in the spring of 1720. 



CHAPTEE IV. 



A SINGULAR EPISODE. 

Zinzendorf's route, in leaving France, lay through Swit- 
zerland and Central Germany. At Bale, he met his friends 
Frederick and Nicholas Watteville, and was introduced to 
Samuel Werenfels, one of the most eminent theologians of 
the Keformed communion. Thence he proceeded, by way 
of Zurich and Nuremberg, to the castle of Oberbirg, on a 
visit to his aunt, the Dowager Duchess of Polheim. 

During the summer clays that he enjoyed in this rural 
abode, we find him, as ever, full of the one object dearest 
to his heart — the cause of his Saviour. On the Sunday, 
he used to spend several hours in perfect retirement, and 
nothing could induce him to depart from this habit. His 
friends often tried to persuade him to abandon what 
seemed to them a strange way of living; but all their 
efforts were vain. " I would rather be despised," he wrote 
at this period, " and hated for the sake of Jesus, than be 
beloved for my own sake, and thus hindered from serving 
the Lord in all simplicity/' 

The steward of, the countess was a Swiss, named Heitz, 
a man of sincere and fervent piety. He had composed, 
in his native dialect, a poetical history of the sufferings 
of Christ, with annotations. Zinzendorf was pleased with 



52 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



this production, and he revised it, and added to it with a 
view to its future publication. This was his chief occupa- 
tion at Oberbirg. But the affairs of the Church of France 
were often in his thoughts, and he held to the belief that, 
in spite of the defection of Cardinal Noailles, the cause of 
freedom in that country was not lost. He wrote several 
letters to the appellant bishops whom he knew, encouraging 
them to be steadfast. " It is my hope," he said to one of 
his correspondents, " that through you, God will preserve 
the truth to France. You will not be put to death for that, 
and even if you were, what better death could you die ? " 

Nor were these empty words. They breathed the 
martyr-spirit that burned in his own breast, and that 
longed for occasions of self-sacrifice. We have said that 
there was something chivalrous and impassioned in his 
piety, and that it bore the impress of the poet and the 
gentleman sanctified by grace. The following incident 
may serve to illustrate the truth of this remark : — 

From Oberbirg he went to a place called Castell to see 
another of his aunts. He intended to stay a week, but was 
detained, by illness, for two months. Dining this visit he 
was thrown into the society of his cousin Theodora, the 
youngest daughter of the Countess of Castell, and a strong 
attachment resulted. On submitting his wishes to his 
aunt, he found that she not only assented, but, as she her- 
self told him, she "desired it with all her heart." The 
young lady declined to give him a decided answer to his 
proposals. But, although not evincing any particular pre- 
ference for him, she intimated that she would agree to the 
marriage "if it were the win of God, and He inclined her 



A SINGULAR EPISODE. 



53 



heart in favour of it." She went so far, however, as to give 
him her portrait, and promised to see him again. 

Zinzendorf set out, in high hope, to lay his cherished 
project before his parents, whose consent he readily ob- 
tained, and he soon returned, with a bounding heart, to- 
wards the home of his beloved. But an accident arrested 
his steps. It was winter, and the Elster had become so 
swollen by the snow, that he nearly lost his life in attempt- 
ing to cross it near the little town of Plauen. Compelled 
to wait at this spot till the road became passable, he wrote 
to his friend, Count Eeuss, on whose estate he was thus 
made a prisoner, and tolcl him of his marvellous escape. 
The count invited him to Ebersdorf , and he accepted the 
invitation. 

Henry XXIX., the reigning count of Keuss-Ebersdorf, 
was an intimate friend of Zinzendorf, and the two young 
men were animated by similar religious sentiments. It 
was but recently, as we have seen, that they had parted in 
Paris. Henry had just attained his majority, and suc- 
ceeded to the sole government of his dominions. 

In the course of conversation one day, some remarks 
were made on the subject of marriage, and Zinzendorf was 
asked his opinion as to the choice that he thought his 
friend ought to make. After a long discussion of various 
names, ranging over almost all Christendom, Henry's 
mother, the Dowager Countess of Keuss, exclaimed, " Of 
all the ladies that have been mentioned, there is not one 
equal to Theodora Castell ; but we must not dream of her, 
and Count Zinzendorf knows why better than anybody else." 

Though Theodora had not given him her formal promise^ 



54 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Zinzendorf felt sure of obtaining it. But the remarks he 
had heard led him to reflect, and he asked himself whether 
they were not an indication of the Divine will, and whether 
God had not destined the object of his choice for another. 
He determined that, if this were the case, he would resign 
her without hesitation. He then advised Count Keuss to 
propose to Theodora, and assured him that, so far from 
insisting on any claim he himself might have, he would 
do his best to advance his friend's wishes. Henry at first 
protested against accepting such a sacrifice, but Zinzendorf 
adhered to his suggestion, and they both set out for Castell. 
Henry lost no time in his advances, but it was a delicate 
matter to deal with, for though neither the Countess nor 
her daughter manifested any objection to Henry, they 
thought it right to stand by the terms of their agreement 
with Zinzendorf. But he obviated all difficulty by plead- 
ing against himself ; and succeeded so well that the mar- 
riage of Henry and Theodora was speedily arranged. 

Zinzendorf has often been charged with folly for his 
conduct on this occasion, and his enemies have used it to 
his disparagement. His friends, on the contrary, looked 
upon him as acting a heroic part, while he explains it him- 
self very simply. 

" To judge from your letter," he writes to the Countess 
Keuss, " one would suppose that I had done something rare 
and wonderful in giving up Theodora to my friend Henry. 
But I can only see one thing in it, namely, that it was 
God's will. I adore that sovereign will, and I give myself 
up to it, in readiness to suffer, so long as it is but carried 
out ; for that will can have no purposes but those of love." 



A SINGULAR EPISODE 



55 



It appears from a letter of his, written a year and a half 
subsequently to this event, that the formalism in the family 
at Castell was strongly opposed to his religious views, and 
gradually produced a coldness on the part of the countess, 
so that, even if this had not presented itself to his own 
mind as a difficulty, it may serve to explain the readiness 
of his aunt to renounce the thought of the proposed union. 

Be this as it may, the surrender had an important in- 
fluence on Zinzendorf. Several years afterwards, in de- 
scribing this period of his life to Charles Wesley, he said, 
" From that moment, I was freed from all self-seeking, so 
that for ten years I have not done my own will in any- 
thing, great or small. My own will is hell to me." * 

Zinzendorf was at the marriage of Henry and Theodora, 
and himself implored the Divine blessing on their nuptials, 
in a prayer that drew tears from the eyes of all present. 
He also composed a cantata for the occasion, which was 
performed after the ceremony, f 

The desire to consecrate himself to the cause of Christ 
still predominated, and the question how he should realise 
it was the theme of his thoughts day and night. The 
course pursued by Baron Canstein, for whom he always had 
cherished the highest admiration, awakened his warmest 
sympathy, and he repaired to Halle to offer himself for 
some office in connexion with the religious institutions 
which had been founded by Franke in that city. But be- 

* Jackson's Life of John Wesley, vol. i., p. 115. 

f Theodora retired, after the death of her husband, to Herrnhut, where 
she became General Elder of the Choirs of Widows, and died there in 
1777. 



56 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



fore he had time to impart his views to Franke, this devoted 
philanthropist made him a formal proposal that they should 
" labour together in the work of faith, with courage, humi- 
lity, and patience/' 

The Count gladly accepted this offer, and immediately 
wrote to his parents for their approval ; but, contrary to 
his expectation, it was refused. He submitted without a 
murmur, though it was a hard sacrifice for him to make, 
for he not only had to forego what his heart desired, but 
was obliged to withdraw the promise he had made to 
Franke, who would probably attribute the change to fickle- 
ness of purpose. 

He accordingly quitted Halle, and went to Berlin to visit 
his mother, whom he had not seen for several years. He 
confided his sentiments to her, but she could not fully 
respond to them ; she was a woman of strong sense and 
cool judgment, and she no doubt feared that he was being 
carried away by the dreams of a heated imagination. It 
was her desire to see him follow in the steps of his father, 
and occupy an official post at court. He could serve God, 
she said, in this sphere just as well as in any other. But 
Zinzendorf felt that this would expose him to too many 
snares, and would not promote the glory of Christ and the 
salvation of men as he desired ; so that he and his mother 
still widely differed in their views. 

Meantime, on the 26th of May 1721, he attained his 
majority, and soon afterwards he returned to Hennersdorf. 
He had now finished his education, and completed the 
course of travel marked out for him, and was about to 
enter upon a new kind of life. 



A SINGULAR EPISODE. 



57 



The two years that had just elapsed had been fruitful 
of important results. Zinzendorf had seen the world, and 
had been preserved from its perils. He had also obtained 
an intimate knowledge of the different Churches ; for he 
had successively attended both the schools of learning 
that represented the two opposite parties in the Lutheran 
body; he had been thrown amongst the Eeformed in 
Holland, and the Catholics in Paris, and had met with 
disciples of Christ everywhere. 

" All of us," said Luther, " who have been washed and 
sanctified by the blood of Christ, are members of the true 
Church; we are members of Christ, and are brethren, 
whether we belong to Kome, to Wittemberg, or to Jeru- 
salem." This grand principle, which belongs to the very 
essence of Protestantism, became strangely obscured ; and, 
at the commencement of the eighteenth century, it was 
regarded as a heresy by all the Churches alike. It was 
reserved for Zinzendorf to bring it to light again ; and he 
was the right man to undertake the task ; for with him it 
was not merely a theoretic principle, but the fruit of his 
own experience. 



CHAPTER V, 



ZINZENDORF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND. 

Zinzendorf had been away eleven years when he returned 
to the home of his childhood, which was then occupied by 
his grandmother, the baroness ; his great aunt, Madame 
de Meusback; and his aunt, Mademoiselle de Gersdorf. 
Young, imaginative, trained by travel for intercourse with 
the world, and having acquired a considerable amount of 
knowledge and experience, he naturally found the society 
of the three old ladies somewhat monotonous. But he 
occupied himself in giving religious instruction to two 
young boys whom he took under his care, and in presiding 
over the public religious meetings held in the castle. The 
time now arrived for him to determine on his future 
course ; or rather his grandmother and his aunt, who still 
claimed the right to direct him as if he were a child, had 
chosen it for him. They had decided that he should enter 
the service of the king, with a view to high office in the 
State. 

Had Zinzendorf been consulted, there can be no doubt 
as to what his choice would have been. His highest 
aspiration was to preach the gospel. He had felt called, 
from his infancy, to win souls to Christ ; and this desire 
had only increased day by day. He pleaded with his 



ZINZENDOEF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND. 59 

relatives to allow him to follow this inward calling ; but 
his entreaties were in vain. With all their piety, they 
could not understand how a young man of sense could 
want to be a minister of Christ, when he might be a 
minister of the King of Poland. 

As the pastoral vocation seemed thus closed to him, he 
wished at any rate to choose one in harmony with the 
deepest desires of his soul. He would have liked to pur- 
chase an estate, where he could live in a quiet way, apart 
from the pomp of the world, devoting himself to the wel- 
fare of his dependants, and labouring to disseminate among 
them the knowledge of Jesus. 

The difficulty of doing anything for the gospel in a scene 
of worldliness and dissipation like the court of Saxony 
under Augustus the Brave, no doubt helped to increase 
the repugnance he felt towards the course prescribed for 
him. He would have preferred taking office in Denmark, 
where he saw that real Christianity was taking root in 
high places. Frederick, the prince royal of Denmark, was 
devoted to the cause of the gospel. He had just married 
the daughter of the pious Margrave of Brandenburg, whom 
Zinzendorf had met on his visit to Castell, and with whom 
he had since kept up a correspondence. The Count could 
easily have obtained an appointment at the court of Copen- 
hagen, and, in fact, he was on the point of departure for 
that city when his grandmother again interposed, and ex- 
pressed her strong desire that he should settle at the court 
of Dresden. He considered that the views he entertained 
as to the duty of filial obedience bound him to acquiesce, 
although he still nourished a kind of prophetic conviction 



60 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



that Grod would, ere long, open his way for higher useful- 
ness. 

Towards the end of the year 1721, Zinzendorf entered 
upon his duties as a judge and member of the Aulic 
Council in the electorate of Saxony. During the five years 
that he continued in this double capacity his time was 
chiefly occupied in endeavouring to settle disputes between 
certain peasants and the lord of the manor, who claimed 
authority over them. The first thing he did, on his arrival 
at the scene of his official duties, was to tell the chancellor 
that he had no desire for advancement, and would prefer 
being employed in matters of this kind to any more am- 
bitious functions. The chancellor had no difficulty in 
meeting his wishes, as they were so convenient for the 
aspirations of others. 

Zinzendorf took so little interest in temporal matters, 
and was so completely absorbed in spiritual things, that he 
naturally steered clear of all interference with the political 
aims of those about him, and they, in return, overlooked 
what appeared to them eccentricities in his religious habits, 
and forgave any little instances of indiscretion arising from 
his zeal. 

" I arrived," he says, " at court. My parents wished it, 
and I knew no way of escape. What was I to do ? I 
was bent on keeping my treasure ; I wished to be a friend 
of God, and an enemy of the world ; and, accordingly, I 
set to work with everybody, great and small, in such a 
heedless way, though with a good motive, that now, when 
I think of it, I cannot but wonder at the patience and for- 
bearance shown me by the court generally, and by all the 



ZINZENDOKF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND. 61 

members of the ministry, whom I must have wearied with 
my religion/' 

But while Zinzendorf thus frankly confesses his youthful 
imprudence, he never regretted it. "I know," he observes, 
at a subsequent period, " that there is a good deal of boast- 
ing about what is called the happy medium — neither too 
much nor too little. But experience teaches the very 
reverse of this principle, and shows that the only way to 
begin a good work is to throw the whole heart and soul 
into it. It is of no use to think about avoiding extremes 
at the outset. We always begin by extremes, and that 
happy state of mind which enables us to suit our thoughts, 
words, and actions to every occasion, is only reached by 
long experience and reflection." 

Not content, however, with the opportunities offered by 
personal intercourse for bringing his friends to the know- 
ledge of the gospel, Zinzendorf opened his house for public 
religious meetings. It was a novel thing in that age to see 
a statesman with a sword at his side standing up to preach 
Christ. But his superiors in the government took no ex- 
ception to it, and the ecclesiastical authorities proved to be 
equally tolerant. The meetings were held every Sunday, 
from three o'clock in the afternoon to seven in the evening, 
during which time there was conversation on religious sub- 
jects, singing, and reading of the New Testament. The 
spirit of love that animated these gatherings produced 
happy fruits. Zinzendorf shut no one out; and he not 
only welcomed the poorest of the flock, but he made no 
scruple of admitting persons holding strange views, and 
allowing them freely to advance their opinions, if he saw 



62 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



that they evinced a serious desire after truth and salva- 
tion. In several instances he succeeded in bringing back 
those who had lapsed into error to sound doctrine and 
Christian fellowship. 

Since the beginning of the movement which took the 
name of Pietism, the aspect of religious affairs in Germany- 
had undergone a great change. Pietism, though at first 
despised and persecuted, gradually prevailed in the upper 
classes of society. It became fashionable to side with the 
Halle professors, and the clergy themselves at length dis- 
covered that persons of such high rank could not be alto- 
gether in the wrong. The old theology of Wittemberg 
daily lost ground. But a succession of victories not unfre- 
quently paves the way for defeat, and so it was with the 
Pietists. What they gained in outward power and import- 
ance, they lost in real life ; while the orthodox party, 
strengthened by their fall, had learnt to live by faith. 

All this only taught Zinzendorf to keep clearer than ever 
of sectarian distinctions. Brought up among the Pietists, 
he had always regarded hhnself as one of them ; but from 
this time he threw off all party colours, and became more 
and more catholic in his spirit. This was the first thing 
that aroused hostility against him. 

At that time many earnest minds felt the need of a 
new reformation within the Protestant Churches. It was 
seen that the work commenced by Luther had yet to be 
finished, and that the Churches formed in Germany, as the 
result of the movement in the sixteenth century, were not 
constituted on principles altogether consistent with the 
gospel, and that much remained to be rectified, especially 



ZINZENDORF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND. 



63 



in regard to ecclesiastical discipline. Zinzendorf was quite 
of this opinion, and he tells us that for some years his own 
mind was much occupied with questions of this nature. 
But he at length came to the conclusion that, whatever 
might be their importance, he was not called to spend his 
strength upon them, but that his mission was to labour 
directly for the salvation of souls. He was convinced that 
all ecclesiastical questions are but of secondary consequence, 
and that in paying so much attention to matters of form 
there is danger of losing the one thing really needful. The 
one thing he desired — and we repeat it, because he was 
fond of repeating it himself — was to find out the true 
friends of the Saviour in every Church, and to unite them 
in the bonds of spiritual affection, by raising them above 
all those divisions which spring from differences in doctrine 
and form. 

In furtherance of this object, he wished to have a house 
of his own that he could throw open to all Christians with- 
out distinction, and particularly to those who might be 
oppressed or persecuted. Accordingly, he purchased of 
his grandmother an estate called Berthelsdorf, a short dis- 
tance from her own mansion, and surrounded by one of 
the loveliest landscapes in Saxony, — the panorama of 
mountain and valley, with its hill-side sunny slopes, and 
meadows, and streams, and fruitful orchards, interspersed 
with smiling villages, forming one of those classic pictures 
over which the eye ranges with endless delight. He did 
not resign his post at Dresden, but he gave his chief 
energies to the welfare of his dependants, and sought to 
promote among them that spirit of brotherly love, which 



64 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



he so longed to see everywhere prevailing. The cure of 
# Berthelsdorf being just then vacant, the nomination of a 
pastor was the first public act he was called to perform in 
his new dominions. We can easily imagine what import- 
ance Zinzendorf attached to this matter, and with what 
extreme care his right of appointment was exercised. 

He at length fixed on Kothe, a man of fervent piety, 
and an excellent preacher, who had been restrained, by 
scruples of conscience, from seeking a charge. The Count's 
letter, conveying the invitation to Kothe, is dated the 19th 
of May 1722, the day on which he received homage from 
his vassals at Berthelsdorf. " You will find in me," he 
writes to Kothe, "a faithful helper and an affectionate 
brother, rather than a patron." What he wished was to 
be a kind of deacon to the pastor of his village, and to 
render him all the assistance he could in his labours. 

Having thus provided for the spiritual wants of his 
people, he turned his attention to matters of a more per- 
sonal nature, and appointed Heitz, who had served his 
aunt at Oberbirg, to be his steward. The owners of the 
estate at Berthelsdorf not having resided there for more 
than two hundred years, the manorial residence had fallen 
into decay, and was quite uninhabitable, so that he had to 
re-erect a new dwelling. He wished to be exceedingly 
simple and in close keeping with the motto which he after- 
wards had inscribed over the threshold, pointing to a better 
habitation in heaven. He was also anxious to choose a 
companion who would aid him in the work he had laid out 
for himself, and his choice fell upon Erdmuth Dorothy — a 



ZINZENDOEF A STATESMAN AND A HUSBAND. 65 

sister of his friend, Count Keuss — whose acquaintance he 
had made on the occasion of his visit to Ebersdorf. 

In writing to his grandmother on the subject, he says : 
" There will be some difficulties, for I am but a poor 
match, and, I confess, the Countess will have to content 
herself with a life of self-denial. She will have to cast all 
ideas of rank and quality to the winds, as I have done ; for 
they are not things of divine institution, but inventions of 
human vanity. If she wishes to aid me, she must give 
herself to what is the sole object of my life, — namely, to 
win souls to Christ, and that in the midst of contempt and 
reproach." 

The Count did not conceal these views from the lady 
herself. He frankly told her that he was determined not * 
to live for himself, but for God and his neighbour ; that 
he was tired of the vanities of the world ; that he had no 
thought of pleasing men ; that if God should call him to 
labour in a distant field, he was ready to go, staff in hand, 
and preach the gospel to the heathen ; and that in order 
to divest himself of every trammel, and to hold himself 
perfectly free for the work that might be before him, he 
should renounce all his possessions, and make them over 
to his future wife. The transfer was actually made in the 
form of a contract of sale, and in the presence of a notary ; 
but the Count wished it to be kept perfectly private. 

We shall see, in the further course of our narrative, the 
important part acted by the Countess in all her husband's 
labours. Zinzendorf pays her a warm tribute in his Re- 
flections, written in 1747. " An experience of twenty-five 

E 



66 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



years/' he says, " has taught rne that the help I have had 
is the only kind of help that touches my vocation at every 
point/' 

The marriage was celebrated in the month of September, 
at Ebersdorf , and the Count and Countess proceeded thence 
to Dresden. 



CHAPTEE VI. 



THE FOUNDATION OF HERRNHUT. 

The prayer of Zinzendorf , in reference to a spiritual call- 
ing, was now about to be answered in a remarkable. man- 
ner ; and his history from this time becomes so blended 
with that of the Moravian Brethren, that we must here 
recall the early days of that ancient Church, then about 
to be revived under anew form and constitution. 

Bohemia and Moravia, the two advanced posts of the 
Slavonian tribes in the midst of the Germanic races, 
though situated between the boundaries of Eastern and 
Western Europe, had never been entirely subject to Euro- 
pean influence. The inhabitants of these countries, who 
were pagans up to the middle of the ninth century, then 
received the gospel, in common with many other Slavonian 
peoples, from the Greek monks, Cyril and Methodius. 
Political interests soon brought their chiefs into contact 
with the court of Kome ; but the Pope found it necessary 
to make certain concessions to their established customs, — 
as, for example, the reading of the sacred books, and the 
celebration of worship in the vulgar tongue. 

Gregory VII. did what he could, in accordance with 
his scheme of centralisation, to rob the Bohemians of the 
rights they had inherited from their ancestors ; but he 



68 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



gained only a very partial success, and the leaven of inde- 
pendence secretly worked among the people and the clergy. 
Bohemia became a centre of rebellion, — " a refuge for 
heresy," as (Eneas Sylvius afterwards called it. The 
famous reformer, Peter Waldo, of Lyons, went there for 
shelter ; and during the whole period of the middle ages, 
the evangelical party, though decimated by persecutions 
and defections, maintained its existence in that country, 
recruited from time to time by the remains of all the con- 
demned sects, and the survivors of fruitless efforts for Ee- 
form. The community, thus constituted, became aggres- 
, sive under J ohn Huss, and under his successors it took up 
arms in defence of its own existence, which had become 
bound up with the cause of Bohemian nationality. 

Though the armed resistance of the Hussites so far suc- 
ceeded as to secure for them freedom of worship for a time, 
two distinct influences were at work within the bosom of 
then chinch, which soon led to division. One party, the 
Calixtines, only, asked that the papal government should 
recognise certain liberties, which they regarded as the legi- 
timate inheritance of the Bohemian Church ; while the 
other, called the Taborites, assumed the position of formal 
objection to the sovereignty of the court of Koine, and like 
the Vaudois, professed to maintain the constitution of the 
primitive apostolic church in all its purity. The Calix- 
tines might be styled the Grallicans of Bohemia, and the 
Taborites the Protestants. 

" About the year 1450," says Count Valerian Krasinski, 
in his Beligious History of the Slavonian Baces, " the 
Taborites changed their name and called themselves BoJie- 



THE FOUNDATION OF HERRNHUT. 



69 



mian Brethren, and in 1456 they began to form a com- 
munity distinct from the rest of the adherents of John 
Huss or the Calixtines. In 1458, they suffered severe 
persecutions at the hands of the Catholics and the Calix- 
tines. Persecution was renewed more severely than ever 
in 1466 ; but this did not diminish the zeal or the courage 
of the Taborites. On the contrary, they only became more 
devoted to their faith. They convened a synod in a place 
called Lhota, and constituted their church by electing 
elders, after the custom of their forefathers. Having 
adopted the doctrinal views of the Vaudois, their priests 
received ordination from Stephen, the Vaudois bishop of 
Vienne in Dauphine, a circumstance that led to their being 
known by the name of Vaudois. This first Protestant 
Slavonian church underwent ceaseless persecution, and its 
members were obliged to hold their meetings for worship in 
caves, in the depths of forests, and wherever they could find 
a retreat, whilst they were stigmatised as Adamites, Picards, 
and thieves, and branded by other offensive epithets." 

Although long oppressed by the government, the brethren 
enjoyed the sympathies of the people, who looked upon 
them as the last defenders of Bohemian nationality, and, 
besides that, esteemed them for the purity of their lives. 
Zinzendorf relates that in a persecution directed against 
them by the Archbishop of Prague, the police-officer who 
was charged to arrest them entered the room where they 
were assembled and addressed them in these words : — 
" Considering that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus 
slioll suffer persecution* the persons present in this assem- 

* 2 Tim. iii. 12. 



70 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



bly must follow me to prison." The brethren obeyed this 
singular summons without hesitation. * 

The community of the Brethren held on, sometimes per- 
secuted beyond measure, and sometimes enjoying a brief 
respite during the reigns of more moderate princes, till the 
days of Luther and the Reformation. This great event 
inspired them with new coinage. They felt that they were 
one with the Protestants in all the essential points of their 
faith, and were animated by the same spirit. They had to 
bear their share of the calamities that befel the Lutherans 
during the thirty years' war ; but in the treaty of West- 
phalia, which guaranteed the rights of the German Protes- 
tants, no mention was made of the Bohemian brethren. 
Many of them fled to Poland, Prussia, and Saxony, and 
there founded little communities. In their own country 
no toleration was granted them, and while they conlcl only 
carry on their worship in the utmost secrecy, they were 
obliged to observe the most vigilant precaution in conceal- 
1 ing their books from the eyes of their oppressors. 

The victories of Charles XII., at the opening of the 
eighteenth century, brought them some relief, by the mo- 
mentary terror exerted in the breasts of then foes. But it 
was of short duration, for their last hope perished with the 
fall of the Swedish hero, and the weight of the Austrian 
arm came clown upon them with redoubled force. They 

* See a Manuscript History of the Ancient Church of the Brethren, 
by Zinzendorf, in the library of Geneva. In this document Zinzendorf is 
sometimes at variance with modern historians, whom we have thought it 
right to follow. He considers, for example, that the two names, Calix- 
tines and Taborites, designated one and the same party, and that this was 
quite distinct from that which founded the community of the Brethren. 



THE FOUNDATION OF HEKRNHUT. 



71 



then saw that they had no mercy to look for in their own 
country, and they began to think of other regions, deter- 
mining to forsake their homes and native land, and to seek 
an asylum where they might worship God according to 
their own conscience. Thus the tide of emigration set 
in, and there was a general movement from all parts of 
Bohemia and Moravia. 

The man who, in the providence of God, was raised up 
to direct this movement was a Moravian carpenter, named • 
Christian David. According to the testimony of his con- 
temporaries, he was a man of ability and of extraordinary 
energy. Brought up in the Komish Church, to which his 
parents belonged, he had been the subject of religious feel- 
ings from his childhood, and having left his native village 
at an early age, he travelled over a considerable portion of 
Germany, working at his trade as he went. The reading 
of the Scriptures led him to the fountain of divine grace, 
and thus satisfied the deep cravings of his heart. He 
joined the Lutheran Church, and in the visits that he paid 
at various times after this event to the land of his birth, - 
he became acquainted with many of the United Brethren. 
A revival sprang up among them through his instrumen- 
tality, resulting in a clearer understanding of the gospel, a 
more living faith, and a firmer attachment to the doctrines 
handed down by their fathers ; and while they groaned 
more than ever under the oppression to which they were 
subject, they deeply felt their isolation from all religious 
influences in the midst of the utter darkness that sur- 
rounded them. 

At the commencement of the year 1722, Christian David, 



72 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



having been introduced to Zinzendorf in Lusatia, gave 
him a vivid description of the miserable state of his co- 
religionists in Moravia, and took the opportunity to bespeak 
his protection on behalf of those who might determine to 
emigrate. Although the Count did not attach special im- 
portance to this matter, he seems to have become interested 
in the circumstances made known to him. This brief 
interview, however, was sufficient to reveal the character of 
Zinzendorf to his new friend, and the carpenter returned to 
Moravia with the joyful news that this young nobleman 
was thoroughly devoted to the service of Christ, and would 
readily welcome any of them who might wish to seek 
shelter under his roof. 

There was at that time a family of five brothers in 
the village of Schleu in Moravia, named Neisser. Their 
parents were Koman Catholics ; but their grandmother, 
who was a descendant of the ancient Bohemian Church, 
had instructed them in the Holy Scriptures. The pious 
conversation of a soldier who had been quartered with 
them some years before, revived the impressions of their 
childhood, and made them secretly resolve to leave all 
they possessed, if they could but find a place where they 
and their children might be free to pursue their eternal 
interests. 

They first thought of Hungary or Transylvania ; but 
the accounts they received, as to the chance of establish- 
ing themselves there, offered little encouragement. The 
report now brought by David induced them to follow his 
advice, and to seek a refuge in Lusatia. Two of them, 
artisans of superior skill,— fameux couteliers, as Zinzendorf 



THE FOUNDATION OF HERENHUT. 



73 



calls them,* — resolved to set the example, and to depart 
without delay. 

They reached Berthelsdorf in the month of June. The 
Count was not at home ; but they were furnished with 
letters of recommendation to Heitz, his steward, and to 
Marche, who was tutor to the grandchildren of the Baroness 
of Grersdorf. Heitz informed the Count of the new arrival, 
and Zinzenclorf immediately wrote from Dresden, whence 
he was about to start for his marriage at Ebersclorf, au- 
thorising the Moravian emigrants to stay in his dominions 
till he should find them another place of abode. His in- 
tention was to obtain permission from Count Beuss for 
them to establish themselves in his territories ; and he 
hailed them as the first-fruits of that fraternal community 
which he had long dreamed of. 

But while the Count was at Ebersdorf, the affair took 
a turn that he had not anticipated. Heitz and Marche 
took an active part in providing for the wants of the new 
comers, and succeeded in interesting the Baroness Gers- 
dorf in their favour. She sent them a cow to supply 
them with milk for their children, and gave them per- 
mission to cut as much wood from the forest as they re- 
quired to build a house. The site selected for them was 
on an elevation belonging to the Count, about a quarter 
of a league from Berthelsdorf, and by the main road to 
- Zittau. It was a wild, marshy spot, covered with brush- 
wood, overhung by a hill called the Hutberg, on the 

* See the Geneva Manuscript. In the above account the endeavour 
has been made to reconcile the statements of Zinzendorf with those of 
Croeger, which differ in some points. 



74 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



summit of which was the peaceful cemetery, where the 
traveller may read, among the simple records that dis- 
tinguish the last resting-places of the Brethren, the name 
of Zinzendorf, and that of Christian David who felled the 
first tree to build a home for the Moravian exiles. Above 
the threshold, as the sacred enclosure is approached, are 
the words : " Now is Christ risen from the dead ;" and on 
the inside the passage is completed, " and become the first- 
fruits of them that slept." There is something deeply im- 
pressive in the very simplicity of everything within this 
dwelling of the dead. There is not a single line of en- 
comium ; no parade of names or titles ; not a single funeral 
urn, or broken column, or lighted torch ; nothing to break 
the stillness and the solemnity of the place where God 
watches over the dust of His beloved. 

The builders commenced their task on the 17th of June 
1722, a day that will ever be memorable in the annals of 
the Moravian Brethren; for the humble structure then 
commenced proved to be the first habitation in the future 

, village of Herrnhut. The work was beset with many diffi- 
culties ; but they laboured on bravely, and encouraged by 
the conviction that a special blessing would rest upon an 
undertaking begun in faith. Shaefer, in the sermon he 
preached at the installation of his friend Kothe as pastor, 
made use of these prophetic words : " God will kindle a 
light on these hills which shall shine over the whole 

. country : I am assured of it by faith." 

The significant name of Herrnhut — loatched of the Lord, 
that Heitz chose for the house before it was finished, indi- 



THE FOUNDATION OF HEEENHUT. 



75 



cated the same impression on his part. " God grant," he 
wrote to the Count, " that your excellency may found at 
the feet of the Hutberg, (hill of watch,) a city which shall 
not only be watched of the Lord, but whose inhabitants 
shall keep watch before Him day and night."* 

Zinzendorf , who was regularly informed by Heitz of what 
was doing in his dominions, took a lively interest in all 
these proceedings, and in a letter written to his vassals to 
introduce Kothe as their pastor, he gave a warm welcome 
to the " pilgrims whom the Lord had led into a strange 
land," and exhorted them so to live that they might be 
" the salt of his people," while he entreated his own de- 
pendants not to be outrun in spiritual attainments by their 
new neighbours. 

By the month of October, the house was ready, and 
Christian David and the two Moravian families took pos- 
session, Heitz commemorating the occasion by a solemn 
religious service, and a discourse from the words of Isaiah, 
that had suggested its name, " I have set watchmen upon 
thy walls, Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace 
day nor night : ye that make mention of the Lord, keep 
not silence, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till 
he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth," (Isa. lxii. 6, 7.) 
He then read the description of the heavenly Jerusalem, in 
the 21st chapter of the Kevelation ; and the little company 
knelt down together, and prayed that God would make 
this house also His tabernacle, and dwell there among 
them. 

* In allusion to Isaiah lxii. 6. 



73 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



At the end of December, the Count and Countess left 
Dresden, to escape the gaieties of the court at that season, 
on their way to pass the winter on their own estate ; and 
as they approached the castle of Hennersdorf in the even- 
ing when it was dark, the Count, observing a little twink- 
ling light that he had never seen before, in the wood at the 
base of the Hutberg, asked what it was. It was the 
dwelling of the infant Moravian colony. 

The Count immediately left his carriage, and hastening 
to the door of the cottage found the inmates seated round 
the hearth, enjoying the fruit of their toils. He now gave 
them a cordial personal welcome, and kneeling down with 
them, thanked G-od, and committed them to the gracious 
and faithful care of the Saviour. 



CHAPTEK VII. 



FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE COLONY. 

Frederick Watteville, who had joined the Count and 
Countess at Dresden, accompanied them in their journey 
to Hennersdorf. He was a college friend of Zinzendorf, 
and was now about to become a fellow-labourer. The 
desires which they had both cherished from their childhood 
were thus to be fulfilled in their united experience. 

Watteville, according to Schrautenbach, who knew him 
personally, and gives an interesting description of him, was 
a young man of a noble character, who at once inspired 
even those who had learnt to trust no one, with a feeling of 
confidence. He was exceedingly affable, unpretending, and 
opposed to all show. He was a thoroughly faithful friend, 
and always looked at the good side of everybody. He had 
great penetration, but there was too much kindness and 
good breeding mingled with it to render him in the least 
degree formidable to honest people. He was unusually 
happy and cheerful, though singularly unequal in his 
temperament. He consecrated all his energy to the good 
of his fellow-creatures, — cared nothing about any land of 
preference or distinction, — was absent and forgetful, — but 
a gentleman in person, education, and manners. 

Such was the man chosen of G-od to be Zinzendorf s 



78 



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Melancthon, and one of the pillars of the new Church of 
the Brethren. But he had not yet found peace of soul. 
Indeed he was far from it. His mind had not been regu- 
lated like Zinzendorf's. Since he left the Pcedagogium 
he had passed the principal part of his time, in Paris, 
where he had seen the world and loved it. He had been 
drawn into the vortex of gambling, and had sometimes 
gained and sometimes lost enormous sums. Philosophy, 
too, had brought its seductions to bear upon him, and had 
insensibly worn away the simple faith in which he had 
been trained. 

But neither the world's wisdom nor its follies had served 
to satisfy him. He soon became weary of its hollow vani- 
ties, and then sought to recover the peace and joy of his 
childhood, by again putting himself under the propitious 
influence of one to whom he looked up with the highest 
esteem. During the early part of his stay at Hennersdorf 
and at Berthelsdorf, his heart was still divided. He some- 
times felt strongly moved at the religious meetings, or 
when pious conversation was going on; but he was not 
yet freed from the world; and the strict notions of the 
family at Hennersdorf precluded then regarcling him as 
one of themselves. Hence he was left very much to dis- 
pose of his own time, and had ample leisure for study and 
meditation. A spiritual change was in progress. The 
Count, who loved him tenderly, was not anxious to hasten 
his conversion. He knew the sensitive character of his 
mind, and he simply endeavoured to encourage him in the 
course he was taking. But one evening, about a month 
after their arrival, observing that he seemed out of spirits, 



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he called him aside, and asked him about the state of his 
mind. Watteville confessed that his soul was in the most 
fearful chaos, and he was as wretched as a man could be. 

"What is your idea of God?" Zinzendorf asked him. 
Watteville answered as well as he could, by enumerating 
the perfections of the Deity, but omitted all reference to 
God's love. Zinzendorf then spoke of God as the very 
essence of love ; and selecting some hymns on the misery 
of man and the love of Jesus, he read some of them, and 
some he sang to him. 

Watteville fell on his knees and cried to God to have 
mercy upon him, and to pronounce on his soul the mighty 
< words, Let there he light ! By degrees this light came ; 
and we shall soon see this interesting young man conse- 
crating himself entirely to the service of God, and draw- 
ing the bonds between himself and the Count closer than 
ever. 

There were two others who shared this close friendship. 
One was the pastor Eothe, and the other Schaefer of Goer- 
litz, whom Kothe had brought with him. Schaefer was a 
faithful minister of Christ, and had suffered much in the 
cause of his Master. His sermons had been blessed, in 
former days, to Heitz; and it was through him that Chris- 
tian David, the carpenter, had come to know both Eothe 
and Zinzendorf. 

Kothe, Schaefer, Watteville, and Zinzendorf now formed 
one of those little intimate associations which the Count 
was so fond of, and which were entered into as the means 
of mutual strength and encouragement in the battle against 
the prince of darkness, and in efforts to extend the king- 



80 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



doni of Christ. In this union with each other they preached 
the gospel ; founded establishments intended to provide a 
Christian education for children ; published and circulated 
useful and religious books ; and sought to promote frequent 
intercourse between Christians of different countries by 
extensive travel, as well as by correspondence. 

The four friends often held meetings for conference, 
and freely exchanged their thoughts on all that pertained 
to the objects they had in view. Ko the contributed to the 
interest of these occasions by his charming eloquence, 
his methodic mind, and his profound acquaintance with 
Scripture. Schaefer enlivened the discussions with his 
characteristic vivacity, his bold, enterprising spirit, his 
knowledge of the human heart, and his somewhat rough 
openness of manner. Young Watteville was valued for Ms 
mental clearness and accuracy, as well as his amiable and 
conciliatory disposition ; for if ever there was any asperit} r 
to be smoothed down, or any misunderstanding to be set 
right, he was always appealed to. Zinzendorf, with his 
ardent love to the Saviour, and his talent for organisation, 
was the soul of the fraternity. In matters that were non- 
essential, he readily gave way to his friends ; but when once 
he was convinced that his views on any vital point were 
founded on the Bible, nothing would induce him to abandon 
it. It occasionally happened that persons who were not 
members of that association attended its meetings without 
fully entering into their spirit, and thus started objections 
which led to unforeseen difficulties. If these objections 
were of a kind that the Count thought would bring injury 
on the cause of Christ, he would burst into tears, and some- 



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times he would retire alone, throw himself at the feet of the 
Saviour, and renew his vow to be faithful to Him, whoever 
might forsake Him. 

Zinzendorf took the chief part in the correspondence, in 
travelling, and in the composition of popular writings. 
During the year 1723 he published a small catechism and 
two other religious works. The catechism was intended 
for little children, and hence it cost him very considerable 
labour to adapt it to their capacity. It was not, however, 
a work likely to yield him any reward in the way of public 
appreciation ; ridicule was the only result he had to expect 
in that quarter. He might have avoided this by withhold- 
ing his name; but his natural pride and his Christian 
humility united to forbid this, and in spite of the busy 
tongues that would not fail to pass plenty of merry jests on 
a nobleman who could spend his time in teaching infants, 
the book-hawkers soon appeared in the markets with a little 
16mo volume, printed at Lobau, and bearing a title of 
which the following is a literal translation : — The pure 
milk of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, or simple questions 
and ansivers, adapted to the understanding of little children, 
composed, with a desire to promote the glory of the Saviour, 
for the good of little' children, and for the advantage of 
parents, by Count Louis Zinzendorf. 

The Count also established a printing press, but' the 
government having put difficulties in his way, he deter- 
mined to transfer it to Ebersdorf , under the protection of 
Count Keuss. It continued there up to 1726, and sent 
forth some small productions of Franke's, the Psalms, the 
New Testament, and eventually the entire Bible. These 

F 



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books were sold at a low price, with a view to disseminate 
thern as widely as possible among the people. 

In addition to these special occupations, Zinzendorf took 
his part in the more direct work of evangelisation, and 
aided Kothe in his pastoral labours, in the capacity of 
deacon, as he had before desired to do. On Sunday, after 
the sermon and catechism, the pastor and his parishioners 
met in the church, and conversed on the subjects that had 
been treated in the pulpit ; each one was permitted to 
express his own thoughts freely, and to state objections, 
or to ask for such explanations as he might require. 
This was followed by a prayer ; after which the Count sang 
some hymns, one of his servants, Tobias Friedrich, who 
played with great taste and skill, accompanying him on 
the organ. These hymns were extemporaneous com- 
positions, or rather inspirations ; and the Brethren subse- 
quently began to make a careful collection of them as they 
were produced, and incorporated a considerable number of 
them in their psalmody. In the afternoon the parishioners 
met at the castle, and the Count repeated the principal 
points of the sermon they had heard in the morning. 

This quiet and regular mode of activity was naturally 
broken in upon now and then by unexpected circumstances, 
and was not unfrequently interrupted by the official duties 
that devolved on the Count at Dresden, and by his journeys ; 
for he made it a matter of principle not to avoid the trouble 
and inconvenience of travelling when the occasion arose, 
but to turn it to account in the cause of evangelisation and 
of spiritual union. 

In the month of March 1723, a sore trouble invaded the 



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little circle that Zinzendorf had thus gathered around him. 
A detachment of mounted gendarmes suddenly appeared, 
and carried off Frederick Watteville to prison, in Dresden, 
on a charge of having been concerned in a murder recently 
committed by a Swedish officer. A letter from Watteville 
had been found among the criminal's papers, and certain 
expressions it contained had been falsely interpreted, so as 
to bring suspicion upon their author. The Count found 
no difficulty in proving the entire innocence of his friend ; 
but the mistake cost Watteville six weeks' imprisonment. 
Soon after this, Count Zinzendorf undertook a journey to 
Silesia, and another to Prague, at the time of the corona- 
tion of the Emperor Charles VI. as king of Bohemia. He 
was admitted to a private audience with the monarch, in 
which he seized the opportunity to speak freely and with 
warmth of the Saviour, and ventured respectfully to ex- 
hort the emperor to be " steadfast in a life of faith and 
prayer." Watteville, who accompanied the Count, speaks, 
in a letter addressed to his father at this time, of the great 
good he derived from Zinzendorf's influence and example 
amidst the temptations of Charles's court, and says, that 
while the Count was speaking in this way, " the emperor 
listened with his eyes shut, and with great attention." 
Emboldened by the favour the monarch had shown him, 
Zinzendorf ventured to ask his majesty a favour. It was 
not for himself or for the religious party he was connected 
with, but on behalf of the unfortunate remains of a heretical 
sect, opposed to the principles of the Keformation, that he 
thus risked his reputation at the court. In the midst of the 
theological agitation of the sixteenth century, a mystic of 



84 



THE BANISHED COUXT. 



Silesia, named Gaspard Schwenkfeld, had rejected the in- 
spiration of the Scriptures, and propounded certain strange 
doctrines, which were condemned by the Lutheran doctors, 
Melancthon and Flacius Illyricus. His disciples, however, 
formed a little sect, in the eighteenth century, the members 
of which were known for their simple, quiet, and industrious 
mode of life. At the instigation of some Lutheran divines, 
the Catholic clergy obtained authority from the govern- 
ment to compel the Schwenkfeldians to abjure their errors. 
The Count having been informed by one of the ministers 
of the emperor that, as these people refused to submit, 
they would be obliged to leave the country, immediately 
addressed a petition to his " Imperial and Catholic Majesty," 
imploring a relaxation of the sentence, and boldly remind- 
ing the monarch that material means would never convert 
souls, but only tended to make hypocrites. Unhappily his 
intercession was in vain, and the persecution continued. 

Zinzendorf found frequent occasions for the exercise of 
this spirit of toleration, and for active effort as the champion 
of religious liberty, even on the side of those whose views 
he did not approve. Two years after the circumstance 
above mentioned, while he was in Dresden, a woman died 
in that city, who was one of the followers of Grichtel, a 
sect that had separated from the co mm union of the Church, 
and sought to attain angelic perfection by maintaining 
celibacy, living exempt from all earthly care, and giving 
themselves up to contemplation and to various ascetic 
practices. The civil and ecclesiastical authorities joined 
in refusing her the rights of burial. 

The Count forthwith appealed to Loescher, the superin- 



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85 



tendent. "I am informed/' he said, " that the body of 
this woman is to be thrown into the sewer, because she had 
withdrawn from the Church and sacraments, and that she 
is consequently regarded as excommunicated. I under- 
stand that she is not even to be allowed a coffin. I do not 
approve of separation, but I consider it a weakness that 
must be borne with on the score of good intention, and I 
have the utmost horror of the measures that have been 
adopted." He then proceeds to show that such a policy 
only tends to exasperate its victims, and so to augment the 
evil ; he gives it as his conviction that a zeal so opposed to 
charity, and to the Spirit of God, will infallibly bring down 
the judgments of heaven ; and he calls upon the superin- 
tendent, if he has a spark of the love of Jesus in his heart, 
to interpose in defeat of this iniquitous proceeding, and to 
see that proper justice is done ; and he finally declares 
that if his request is refused, he will take up the matter 
as a personal affair, though he does not even know the 
poor woman's name, and will go to higher quarters for 
permission to bury her honourably. " As for myself," he 
adds, " I would far rather be thrown into a ditch when I 
am dead than act against my conscience. In such a case, 
the more ignominious the burial the greater the glory, and 
infamy becomes a triumph." 

Soon after his return from Silesia, the Count again left 
for Dresden, where he passed the whole winter, leaving his 
estates in the charge of his friend Watteville, who had 
become specially interested in the Moravian emigrants. 
Their number kept increasing, and three new dwellings 
rose beside the first. Zinzendorf and his friends had also 



86 



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determined to erect a large house at Herrnhut, at their 
own expense, as an educational institution ; and this was 
what afterwards became the Common House. 

Baron Watteville remained in Lusatia, but did not con- 
tinue to reside either at Hennersdorf or Berthelsdorf. 
Though a man of the world by education, and accustomed 
to all the elegancies of refined life, he had ceased to feel 
any attraction for the society of the great. He liked to be 
alone, or to mingle with people of the humble class ; and 
he took up his abode in a small room in one of the houses 
on the Hutberg. One morning he was awoke before dawn 
by hearing the voices of the other inmates of the house, in 
their several rooms, offering up thanksgiving and prayer 
before they went to their daily work. The partitions were 
thin, and AYatteville listened to every word of their fer- 
vent pleading with intense emotion, till his own heart was 
moved to earnest prayer ; after which he went to the work- 
shop where he was accustomed to find his friend Christian 
David, and, sitting down on a log of wood, gave himself up 
to deep thought. 

The whole of his life passed in review before him. He 
recalled the train of circumstances that had conspired, 
without any intervention of his own, to cast his lot among 
these strangers, and the result was a firm resolve to conse- 
crate himself entirely to the work with which he had been 
thus providentially identified. 

In the midst of these reflections, in which he had been 
so absorbed as not to notice what was going on around 
him, he was roused by the voice of the carpenter, who 
had just finished his task — "There, 5 ' he said, "I have 



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now got everything ready to lay the first stone of the new 
house." 

" And I am ready, too," replied Watteville. 

That same evening, the first stone was solemnly laid. 
The Count and Countess, who had just returned from 
Dresden, were present with their friends from Hennersdorf , 
and the Count gave an address on the objects for which 
the house was about to be built. " If this house/' he said, 
"is not to promote the glory of God — the only end for 
which we propose to build it — may God pour down fire 
from heaven, and so destroy it." 

This was the all-important crisis in Watteville's history. 
The feelings awakened in the morning were still dominant, 
and he had hidden under the stone his rings, jewellery, 
and in fact everything that was likely to remind him of the 
worldly life he had now resolved for ever to renounce. 
When the Count had finished his discourse, Watteville 
knelt down on this stone, and poured out his heart in a 
fervent prayer, giving free utterance to all his resolutions, 
desires, and hopes, and melting the hearts of all the be- 
holders. Zinzendorf often said that he never witnessed 
anything like this affecting scene, and he dated to this 
prayer the rich effusion of divine grace that was soon after- 
wards experienced at Herrnhut. 

" You have promised much," said the Countess to Watte- 
ville ; " if you only fulfil half of it, you will far exceed our 
expectations." 

On the day that this ceremony took place — the 12th of 
March 1724 — a fresh party of emigrants had arrived at 
Herrnhut. The religious awakening that had commenced, 



88 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



under the influence of Christian David, continued to make 
sensible progress ; two entire villages among others were 
moved by the breath of the Holy Spirit. Despite the 
rigorous measures of the Government, people crowded to- 
gether for prayer and the reading of the Scriptures wherever 
they could find a secret place. Whenever these meetings 
were discovered, they were dispersed by force. The delin- 
quents were thrown into prison, and threatened with still 
greater punishments if they should repeat- the offence, and, 
worse than all, emigration was forbidden. WilUng or not 
willing, every one was bound to remain in the country, and 
to profess the Catholic religion. 

Five young men, belonging to a place called Zauchtenthal, 
having been prosecuted several times by the tribunals for 
carrying on their worship, resolved to fly and to seek liberty 
of conscience in some other land. One night they escaped, 
and crossed the mountain that shut in their native village, 
in the direction of Lusatia. It was their intention to try 
and reach Poland or Holland, and there to join some small 
community of Moravians ; but they were anxious to take 
Herrnhut in their way, to see Christian David and their 
other fellow-countrymen who had settled around him. 

Their first impression of Herrnhut was not very favour- 
able. They had pictured to themselves something superior, 
and they could not but pity the poor colonists who had to 
struggle so hard for a living, and often wanted the common 
necessaries of life ; for the assistance furnished by the Count 
went but a little way amongst such a large number of the 
needy. The reception given them by Zinzendorf was not 
quite so cordial as they anticipated, after all that they had 



FIRST EXPERIENCES IN THE COLONY. 



S9 



heard about him ; and hence, although the offer was made 
them to remain at Herrnhut, they still adhered to their 
previous plan. 

But it so happened that they were present at the cere- 
mony we have just described, and there the sight of the 
assembled worshippers, the earnest words of the Count, 
Watteville's prayer, and, above all, the invisible influence 
of the Spirit of God, who hovered over the assembly, laid 
such powerful hold on their hearts, as to banish all thought 
of further wanderings ; and they were glad to find rest in 
a place that seemed so fraught with heavenly benediction. 

Among the new comers was one David Nitschmann, a 
carpenter like Christian David, but in after years the first 
bishop of the new Church of the Brethren. The addition 
thus made to the rising colony at Herrnhut soon became 
an important element in its after-history. 

From the foundation of the settlement considerable dif- 
ferences of opinion had naturally sprung up, and among 
other points, on the rite of the Holy Supper. The Lutheran 
and Keformed views being mutually opposed, neither Zin- 
zendorf nor Eothe had succeeded in solving this difficulty. 
But the conciliatory spirit and the persuasive eloquence of 
Watteville had at last established a friendly understanding 
between the advocates of the two opposite systems. Heitz, 
who was the most inflexible partisan of the Keformed 
sentiments, left the service of the Count. His departure 
appeared favourable to the reconciliation of the two parties. 
But there were other elements of discord. All sorts of odd 
notions and individual crotchets were set up ; and each one 
obstinately adhered to his own ideas. 



90 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



This was not surprising ; for most of those who con- 
stituted this peculiar fraternity had suffered for their faith ; 
persecution had habituated them to distrust ; and liberty, 
in their case, meant resistance. Accustomed to be treated 
as rebels, they had learnt to rebel, and although the 
authority of Count Zinzendorf, and Eothe their pastor, 
was exercised in a kind and fraternal spirit, it was looked 
upon with suspicion. 

Such were the first inhabitants of Herrnhut — men of 
sincere piety, and actuated by good motives ; but extremely 
ignorant, and so obstinate and unconhcling, that it was very 
difficult to teach them. 

The five strangers from Zauchtenthal had descended 
directly from the ancient Mora viae Brethren, and had kept 
their traditions unchanged. The history of their ancestors 
still lived in their memory, and many of their ancient 
hymns they knew by heart. When they left their native 
land, it was to find some community of then own Church. 
They soon perceived that Herrnhut was not organised on 
the principles held by their fathers, and they put in an 
earnest plea for the establishment of the order and disci- 
pline of the true Moravian Church. But no one knew 
what this was ; and Rothe and Zinzendorf, both of whom 
were in utter ignorance of the ancient constitution of this 
Church, tried to prevail upon them to relinquish these 
plans of organisation. But they were not to be diverted 
from their object, and only urged it with the greater deter- 
mination. Seeing, however, that Zinzendorf did not enter 
into their views, they began to suspect his intentions, and 
were several times on the point of leaving the settlement. 



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It is easy to imagine how trying these contentions must 
have been to the Count. "With all his desire for union 
among Christians at large, he could not preserve it in the 
hearts of those around him ! He often felt discouraged, 
and regretted having given the Moravian emigrants such 
free access to his dominions. He could have wished to 
stay the tide of immigration, but his charity always pre- 
vailed over his judgment, and it was not in his heart to 
refuse his succour to any who claimed it. Hence he found 
himself surrounded, as he had been at Dresden, by a mot- 
ley crowd of people, without any distinct confession, repre- 
senting all sorts of wild conceits, and full of spiritual pride. 
Even the Schwenkfeldians, on whose behalf the Count had 
interceded in vain, and who had been forced to quit Silesia, 
found an asylum under his protection. The liberal spirit 
he manifested towards people of this kind, and the protec- 
tion he gave them, brought upon him the charge of being 
himself a dangerous innovator, and of favouring heresy. 
His friends were alarmed, and the venerable Franke wrote 
to him from Halle, in a fraternal spirit, urging him to act 
with prudence, and not to allow himself to be turned away 
from the simplicity of the faith. 

" I could easily have found means," says Zinzendorf, " to 
rid myself of many of these people who gave me so much 
trouble ; but I was restrained from this by two important 
lessons which the Saviour taught me ; — first, that we ought 
to show a wise forbearance towards error, even when we 
know the enemy has sown it in the soul ; and secondly, that 
there are trees in the garden of the Lord that must be left 
another year, and that if, at the end of that time, they bear 



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THE BANISHED COUNT. 



ever so little fruit, they afford some ground of hope. The 
happy success that has attended many experiments of this 
kind encourages me thus to act." ..." I have never re- 
pented," he adds, " taking under my protection people who 
are persecuted or in error. On the contrary, I have been 
sorry that I allowed myself to be influenced by the violent 
opposition that was raised, and to refuse my protection to 
certain heretics who have, in consequence of that refusal, 
proved very troublesome to the evangelical divines ; where- 
as, if I had followed the example of Grod, my heavenly 
Father, and had taken them on my hands, I should have 
had nothing to regret in the end. If I had failed as to then 
salvation, I should at least have found such occupation for 
them, that they would have injured no one but themselves." 

Zinzendorf succeeded, by the kindly and prudent course 
he took, in maintaining peace among all the discordant 
elements. The Moravians were so far yielded to, that 
auricular confession, which had been introduced by Kothe, 
was suppressed, and some who had been estranged were 
brought back to the communion of the Church. But many 
disturbing elements still existed ; and up to the year 1727, 
the Count and his friends were chiefly engaged in endea- 
vouring to create a true spiritual union. 

In the midst of these affairs Zinzendorf kept his eye 
closely on the one thing needful — the conversion and spiri- 
tual advancement of those whom God had committed to 
his care. Eeligious meetings became more and more fre- 
quent, and on Sunday there was a succession of them from 
six in the morning till midnight. Most of those who came 
from Hennersdorf to attend them stayed the whole day, and 



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brought a crust of bread in their pockets instead of dinner. 
The attendance was always perfectly voluntary, for the 
Count hated anything like compulsion in such matters ; 
and if any of his servants absented themselves a whole 
Sunday from these gatherings, he never took the slightest 
notice of the circumstance. On Fridays there was a little 
meeting for fellowship, which was only open to those who 
gave evidence that they sincerely loved the Saviour. 

The education of youth was, as we have seen, another 
means of evangelisation, to which Zinzendorf and his 
friends attached great importance. Three schools were 
soon established at Berthelsdorf and at Herrnhut. Two 
of them were specially intended for poor children — one for 
boys and the other for girls. The third was a college for 
young men of noble rank. 

These institutions were very similar in 'their origin to 
those at Halle ; and when Zinzendorf visited that city in 
1724, he was received by Anton, Franke, and others, with 
expressions of the liveliest sympathy ; though Franke did 
not conceal his fears on learning the unsettled and confused 
character of the new company. 

From Halle the Count repaired to Ebersdorf , where his 
faith and submission were soon to undergo a fresh trial. 
His first-born sickened of a fever, and he and his wife 
knelt by the cradle watching the spark of life that had 
just been kindled, and waiting to see it expire. They were 
enabled, however, to act in the spirit of perfect resignation, 
and to commit then treasure to God, asking Him to accept 
the offering at their hands. The child died while they 
were in prayer. 



CHAPTEK VIII. 



ZINZENDORF RETIRES FROM COURT. 

From this time the Count steadily refused all dignities, 
and sought to separate himself as much as possible from 
the world. He plainly averred that rank was not an 
ordinance of God, but the offspring of human pride. " I 
find something to respect," he said, " in everybody ; and 
I do not see why I should not receive every child of God 
at my table, even if he be but a poor beggar." .... 
" When once you are a Christian," he observes in one of 
his essays, " you are neither prince, count, knight, nor 
noble ; a truly noble mind sees nothing but vanity and 
absurdity in all that. Not that rank should be utterly 
abolished; for a title may be of service to a Christian. 
But a Christian nobleman will use his title in all humility, 
and will regard it as a burden only belonging to bad times." 

The writings of Zinzendorf followed each other in rapid 
succession. After the small catechism to which we have re- 
ferred, he published, in the course of a single year, (1725,) 
a large catechism on the plan of Luther's ; a paraphrase, in 
verse, of the last discoures of Jesus before His crucifixion, 
(John xiv.-xvii. ;) the French translation of Arndt s work 
on True Christianity, which he dedicated to Cardinal 
Noailles ; a collection of hymns for the parish of Ber- 



ZINZENDOEF EETIEES FEOM COUET. 95 



thelsdorf ; a portion of the catechism of Loescher ; and a 
weekly review, entitled the Dresden Socrates, which was 
continued through the following year, and reprinted in 
1732 under the name of the German Socrates. Accord- 
ing to his own account, the object of this last publica- 
tion was to do for his fellow-citizens what Socrates did 
for the Athenians. He wanted to lead them to reflect on 
their own condition, and to show them, by his own ex- 
ample, the true way of happiness. And then, he said 
he wished to persuade them either to become true Chris- 
tians, or at any rate not to profess to be so till they really 
were so. 

The Dresden Socrates was anonymous, and it differed in 
one respect from the other productions of Zinzendorf. It 
frequently contained spirited criticisms on the government 
and the clergy; but some years afterwards, Zinzendorf 
stated that this vein of censure did not suit his taste^ 
and, though he had thought it useful in exposing abuses 
and tearing off the mask of hypocrisy, he soon abandoned 
it. 

While prosecuting these quiet labours the Count had to 
contend with fresh difficulties, which threatened the very 
existence of the colony at Herrnhut. The tide of emigra- 
tion continued to flow from Moravia, and the imperial 
government sought to arrest it by confiscating the property 
of the emigrants, and imprisoning every one they could 
seize, the greatest severity being shown towards those who 
induced others to fly. Zinzendorf felt the delicate position 
in which he was placed. It was but natural to expect that 
he would be looked upon as seeking to people his dominions 



96 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



at the expense of the states of the emperor, and he felt 
some fear that by sheltering the Moravian refugees he 
might become the abettor of political agitation. Accord- 
ingly he took great pains to ascertain the motives of every 
emigrant that arrived. He welcomed all who appeared to 
be influenced by conscientious motives, and readily gave 
them permission to remain at Herrnhut. But. if he found 
that any of them had left their native land for other reasons, 
he would give them a hospitable reception for a few days, 
and then, having furnished them with letters of recom- 
mendation and what money they needed for their journey, 
he would urge them at once to return. He was anxious to 
prevent Moravians who had settled at Herrnhut from 
visiting their own country for the purpose of inducing 
others to emigrate. But if any one felt constrained, in 
spite of his persuasions to the contrary, to brave the perils 
of the way for the sake of his brethren, the Count felt it due 
to the rights of conscience that he should refrain from 
interposing his authority in the matter. 

Thus Christian David continued travelling over Bohemia 
and Moravia in opposition to Zinzendorf s advice. And 
David Xitschmann* another inhabitant of Herrnhut, started 
in disguise to visit his father in Moravia, but was recog- 

He is styled David Xitschmann. the martyr, in the histories of the 
CJiurch of the Brethren, to distinguish him from four others of the same 
name. Three arrived at Herrnhut on the 12th of May 1724: — David 
Xitschmann. the carpenter, who afterwards became bishop; David 
Xitschmann. the weaver ; and this David Xitschmann. the martyr. Two 
others settled there subsequently — one a cobbler, and the ether a ^vheel- 
wright. The latter was the father of Anna Xitschmann. of whom we shall 
have to speak hereafter, and the great-grandfather of J. M. Xitschmann, 
the president of the conference of the United Brethren, who died in 18C2. 



ZINZENDOEF EETIEES FEOM COUET. 



97 



nised, arrested, and conducted to Kremsir, where he was 
thrown into prison. 

On hearing this Zinzendorf set out for Kremsir, in the 
hope that he might obtain Nitschmann's pardon, or at least 
get permission to see him, and to render him some assist- 
ance. 

On reaching his destination he presented himself to Car- 
dinal Schrattenbach, prince-bishop of Olmutz, and to the 
<i cardinal's son, who was one of the ministers of state. He 
was received with great courtesy, and permitted to give a 
full explanation of his motives in affording an asylum to 
the emigrants. He stated that the imprisonment of 
Mtschmann appeared to him illegal, and that he thought 
the only way to stop the tide of emigration would be to 
allow every one perfect freedom of conscience. In reply to 
these representations he was informed that neither the 
emperor nor the pope himself had the power to make con- 
cessions contrary to the principle of ecclesiastical unity ; 
that the mere fact of a handful of poor people having emi- 
grated might be passed by without serious notice, and that 
the Government did not wish to find fault with any one 
for giving them shelter ; but that severe measures would 
be taken against all those who sought to draw others away 
contrary to the will of the emperor. As to the imprison- 
ment of Nitschmann, the authorities denied all knowledge 
of the matter. One of the Count 's companions, however, 
went to the prison, and finding that Nitschmann was there, 
begged that the Count might be permitted to see him, or 
that the prisoner might be informed of the fact that Zin- 
zendorf had interceded for him, and had sought admission 

G 



98 



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to his cell. These requests were not complied with, but 
the officials promised that the pecuniary supplies sent by 
his friend should be duly conveyed to him. Nitschmann 
fell a victim to the cruel treatment he endured, and died in 
prison after three years of captivity. 

Though disappointed at the result of this effort, the 
Count felt convinced that it was of no use to take any 
further proceedings, as they would only tend to provoke 
the Imperial Government, and accordingly he returned to 
Lusatia, making the best of every opportunity by the way, 
to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. During this 
short journey from Kremsir to Berthelsdorf he delivered 
more than twenty public discourses on religious subjects. 

The Ebersdorf Bible was the next thing that engaged 
the Count's special attention. It will be remembered that 
the printing press first established in his dominions had 
been removed to Ebersdorf in consequence of the jealousy 
of the Government. The chief object in the publication of 
this new edition of the Bible was to offer the Sacred Books 
at a price that would make them generally accessible. It 
was Luther's version, with the Keformer's introductions to 
the Old and Xew Testaments, the Informatorium Biblicum 
of J. Arndt, and parallel passages. Bothe added, by way 
of supplement, a new translation of various passages, and 
Zinzendorf composed the preface and the summaries of the 
chapters. These summaries, which are fuller than usual, 
are written in a clear, vigorous style, and form a kind of 
running commentary. 

The Ebersdorf Bible caused great offence, and Zinzen- 
dorf was blamed for Bothe's rashness in daring to translate 



ZINZENDORF EETIEES FROM COURT. 



99 



such and such a passage better than it had been done be- 
fore him. True, this was not the first time that certain 
parts of Luther's version had been called in question ; but 
before the schools had come to any decision on the matter, 
it was taken out of their hands, to be decided in an edition 
of the Scriptures which was destined to outvie every other 
in its popularity. 

A pamphlet published in Dresden, with a view to point 
out the dangerous character of the Moravian Bible, caused 
some sensation, because it was supposed to come from high 
quarters. Zinzendorf did not care to enter upon an inter- 
minable controversy, but contented himself with a short 
article in his journal. But this was quite enough to rouse 
the fears of the Government. The Chancellor sent for 
him, and begged him to refrain from further argument, 
promising that the pamphlet against him should be entirely 
suppressed. Zinzendorf unhesitatingly complied with the 
first part Of the proposal, but refused the second. He said 
that, so far from wishing the pamphlet suppressed, he would 
assist in spreading it abroad ; and he actually gave away a 
copy of it with every Bible he sold, leaving the public to 
judge between him and his opponents. The pamphlet, as 
r might be expected, defeated its own end. But while the 
5 Ebersdorf Bible was successful, fresh troubles soon arose at 
Herrnhut. A magistrate named Kriiger, from the district 
of Yoightland in Saxony, had exposed himself to the sen- 
tence of excommunication from the Church by his heterodox 
opinions on the subject of the Lord's Supper. At length 
he entirely rejected the sacrament. On being compelled 
to resign his office, he determined to seek a refuge at 



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Herrnhut, and wrote to Zinzendorf to that effect. Although 
Zinzendorf had no sympathy whatever with his opinions, 
and plainly told him so, he was unwilling to refuse him 
the rights of hospitality. The superior knowledge and 
business habits of Kriiger, conjoined with great energy of 
character and an air of special sanctity, soon enabled him 
to acquire considerable influence in the colony — an influ- 
ence which was unhappily employed in the revival of the 
old feuds. All sorts of heresies began to make their ap- 
pearance, and among the rest of the schismatics, some 
denied the divinity of Jesus Christ, and others His hu- 
manity. Kothe laboured with all his might to counteract 
these disturbing elements. Zinzendorf was specially care- 
ful not to exert any authority in the matter, and confined 
himself simply to fraternal expostulations with Kriiger, 
although Kriiger did everything he could to bring on an 
open war with the Count, and so to gain the honours of 
persecution. Having tried in vain to provoke Zinzendorf 
to anger, he at length became the slave of spiritual pride, 
and finally sank into a state of mental derangement. Every 
care was taken of him at Herrnhut, till he could be re- 
moved to an asylum in Berlin, on leaving which he became 
hopelessly insane, and after wandering about for some time, 
at last died in great misery. 

The disturbances thus created continued to bear fruit, 
and even Christian David the carpenter, who had founded 
the community, became the leader of a fanatical sect. The 
Moravian Brethren, with a very few exceptions, separated 
from the church at Berthelsdorf, and did not hesitate to 
speak of the Count in the most hostile terms. They even 



ZINZENDOEF EETIEES FEOM COUET. 



101 



called him the Beast of the Apocalypse who gave the false 
prophet power to seduce men, — the false prophet being 
Kothe. Those, on the other hand, who remained in con- 
nexion with the church, blamed the Count for the mild- 
ness of his bearing towards their opponents ; and thus the 
harshest and most undeserved censure was poured upon 
him from all sides. The state of affairs soon became noised 
abroad, and Zinzendorf was condemned by those who looked 
on from a distance for harbouring a nest of heresy. Instead, 
however, of giving way to discouragement, he set to work 
to sustain those whose faith was beginning to fail, telling 
them they were just at the juncture when the grain of corn 
dies in the earth ; but the spring would soon follow, and 
they would see it shooting up and blooming and bearing 
fruit. It was thus that he sought to animate the hearts of 
those around him with patience and courage, while he bore 
the brunt of the mischief that others had made, and waited 
hopefully in the conviction that God would make all things 
work together for good. 

Difficulties of another kind awaited him in Dresden. 
The opposition excited by the German Socrates had ex- 
tended to that city, and a rescript had been procured from 
the emperor prohibiting the religious meeting that he had 
been accustomed to hold in his house. Zinzendorf now 
felt more than ever the necessity of resigning his public 
appointment. The division of his thoughts and energies 
between Dresden and Berthelsdorf involved more labour 
and anxiety than one man could well sustain ; and the 
little community, that at first numbered only two or three 
families, having grown in the course of five years to a 



102 



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village with three hundred inhabitants, partly from Mora- 
via and partly from other lands, now required all his time 
and strength. He had undertaken his duties at court 
contrary to his own tastes, and purely out of obedience to 
the wishes of his family. But his grandmother had recently 
died ; and, after repeated and urgent entreaties, he obtained 
his mother's consent to his retirement. At the instance of 
his friends he at first contented himself with asking leave 
of absence for a time. But a few years afterwards, in 1731, 
he applied for his final dismission, and it was granted. 



CHAPTEK IX. 



HOME WORK. 

Zinzendorf now devoted himself entirely to the temporal 
and spiritual welfare of the inhabitants of the new colony. 
He entrusted the management of his property to his wife 
and to Henry Watteville ; and after a time, finding that 
the daily journey backwards and forwards to Herrnhut 
occupied too much time, he moved from his own mansion 
to an empty wing of the Great House. 

Unfortunately he and Kothe were not quite of the same 
mind as to the way in which the infirmities and errors of 
the people should be dealt with. Zinzendorf represented 
the principle of liberty, and considered that the only way 
to bring them back to the simplicity of the gospel was to 
teach them patiently and affectionately, never overstepping 
the bounds of that brotherly love which they had a right 
to expect. Kothe believed in authority, and was disposed 
to be dogmatic and exclusive. Hence it was difficult to 
avoid collision, and Zinzendorf frankly communicated to 
Eothe his fears lest their frequent differences of opinion 
should tend to neutralise the effect of their labours ; and 
they agreed that Zinzendorf should give his whole atten- 
tion to Herrnhut in the capacity of lay assistant to the 



104 



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pastor. The people of the parish were then called together 
and informed of the arrangement, with the reasons that 
had led to its adoption. 

Zinzenclorf soon succeeded in restoring fraternal com- 
munion among those who had been alienated from the 
church and from each other. But although the Moravians 
ceased to manifest the same sectarian spirit as before, they 
renewed their plea for the re-establishment of the ancient 
constitution of their church. They would not hear a word 
to the contrary; and they plainly told the Count that 
nothing would induce them to change their purpose. They 
said it was well known that an organisation of this kind 
was just what was wanted in all other churches, and 
that Luther himself acknowledged the advantages enjoyed 
by the Brethren in this respect. And they went so far as 
to state that they had resolved, if their request were re- 
fused, to withdraw from the evangelical church, though it 
would be with regret, and, if necessary, to leave Herrnhut, 
and seek a home elsewhere. 

Zinzenclorf plainly saw the difficulties that would arise 
if he yielded to then desire ; but this did not restrain him 
from giving then proposals a thoroughly impartial con- 
sideration. He consulted a number of friends, and care- 
fully studied the History of the Brethren, by Comenius, in 
order to form a just estimate of the organisation called for. 
" As I was closing the book/' he says, " my eyes rested on 
the touching passage in which the author mourns over the 
desolation of the church, whose history he has pourtrayed : 
' Turn thou us/ he cries, ' unto thee, Lord, and we 



HOME WOEK. 



105 



shall be turned : renew our clays as of old/ (Lam. v. 21.) 
Before I had time to read these lines again my resolution 
was taken, and I said to myself, Yes, 1 will do my utmost 
for it ! I will risk all I have to bring it about. This little 
flock, which belongs to the Lord, shall be preserved as long 
as I live, and as far as my influence goes, after I am gone, 
till He comes." 

Zinzendorf immediately set to work, with the assistance 
of Kothe and some of the principal inhabitants of Herrnhut, 
and drew up a certain number of laws, founded upon the 
practice of the apostolic churches, and in accordance with 
the ancient constitution of the Church of the Brethren, so 
far as it was adapted to meet the present need of the little 
community under his care. This being done, the whole of 
the inhabitants of Herrnhut were invited to meet, and he 
laid the case fully before them. He concluded an address 
of three hours, delivered with deep feeling, by reading the 
proposed statutes. The first ran as follows : — TJie members 
of the community of Herrnhut are bound to exercise con- 
stant love to all their brethren — the children of God of 
every religion : they must not pass judgment, nor utter a 
hasty word against those ivho differ from them, but watch 
over themselves so far as to maintain the purity of the 
gospel and the simplicity of grace. 

The statutes were unanimously accepted. They were 
signed by all present, and each one promised to conform to 
them. There was a general expression of sorrow for the 
idle disputes in which they had indulged, and they all de- 
clared their purpose henceforward to cultivate meekness, 



106 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



and to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all things. 
In fact, every heart was subdued by the gracious effusion 
of heavenly influence that rested on the assembly. 

" That day/' said Zinzendorf, twenty years afterwards, 
" was to determine the question whether Herrnhut would 
embrace the true idea of the Church of the Saviour and 
humbly take its place therein, or whether it would choose 
to be nothing but a new sect set up by the will of man. 
The power of the Holy Spirit decided it. What the 
Saviour did for us towards the end of that year, no one can 
tell. Herrnhut was like a tabernacle for God." 

The scene above described occurred on the 12th of May 
1727, exactly three years after the foundation-stone of the 
Common House was laid ; and the feelings awakened on 
that memorable occasion seem to have been revived in all 
their power and freshness. 

The practical spirit of Zinzendorf soon infected the whole 
of the community, and on the day the new statutes were 
passed twelve elders were chosen, whose duty it was to see 
that they were carried out. The Count was elected as 
Vorsteher, or president ; Watteville was associated with 
him as his assistant, and four others were chosen by lot to 
constitute a committee of directors under his superintend- 
ence. The meetings of this committee for deliberation 
were called Conferences of the Elders. The first thing 
they did was to seek the presence of God, who alone could 
give them the light they needed to guide them in difficult 
questions ; and when once they felt conscious of that pre- 
sence, they never separated till a decision was arrived at. 



HOME WOKK. 



107 



If after mature consideration they could not clearly per- 
ceive the will of G-od, they referred the matter to His hands 
by the use of the lot. 

The practice of appealing to the lot, to which Zinzenclorf 
frequently had recourse from this time, although in striking 
harmony with his childlike faith, did not originate with 
him. It was a usage of the ancient Moravian Church, 
derived from the example of the apostles. It was, how- 
ever, only adopted by Zinzenclorf and the new church in a 
negative mode, the veto being thus reserved for the Lord. 
Different opinions are likely to be entertained as to a pro- 
ceeding of this kind ; but it is important to observe that in 
the case of the Moravians the custom did not imply that 
they undervalued human reason, but simply that they ac- 
knowledged its true limits. It was not chance that they 
consulted. They sought to know the will of the Lord 
through this medium, founding their practice on the 
words, (Prov. xvi. 33,) " The lot is cast into the lap ; but 
the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." 

The revival now continued to develop itself in fresh 
forms of activity, with a view to promote closer com- 
munion and more fervent piety. One Sunday, for ex- 
ample, Rothe and other preachers had delivered discourses 
simultaneously to three or four different congregations in 
Herrnhut and Berthelsclorf, on the subject in the gospel 
for the day — viz., the visit of the holy virgin to Elizabeth ; 
in the course of which they pointed out the advantages 
likely to result supposing that two Christian friends united 
together for spiritual fellowship with each other and the 



108 



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Saviour. The impression produced by these sermons on 
the large audiences that listened to them awakened a 
general desire to carry out the suggestion made; and 
several little associations were formed, consisting of two, 
three, or four individuals, who agreed to meet for the 
purpose of mutual confession, exhortation, and united 
prayer. In fact, a week had scarcely elapsed before the 
whole parish became thus divided into what were called 
hands, consisting always of persons of the same sex, 
assorted according to their spiritual character and attain- 
ments. These bands, however, were not perpetual. The 
heads of the community sometimes re-arranged them ; so 
that instead of tending to break up the church into small 
subdivisions, they strengthened its unity, by bringing 
every one of its members in succession into intimate 
fellowship with a certain number of others ; or if at any 
time they seemed to have lost their good effect, they were 
suppressed; and others were formed when the want be- 
came felt. This institution exerted an immense influence ; 
and Zinzendorf said that without it the community of 
Herrnhut could never have become what it was. 

Another important institution was that of choirs. Al- 
though it was of somewhat later date, and developed itself 
by degrees, it may be mentioned here, on account of its 
close connexion with the bands. The choirs were associa- 
tions of persons of similar external circumstances. There 
was a choir of married men, and another of bachelors; 
one of boys, one of little children, one of widows, one of 
married women, one of unmarried women, one of little 
girls, &c. In each of these groups certain members were 



HOME WORK. 



109 



appointed as oiwrters, or workers, who formed a kind of 
special ministry. Each choir had its own meetings and 
feast-days. 

One object carefully kept in view was the avoidance of 
all unnecessary ornament in dress. Among other things, 
jewellery, lace, parasols, and fans were forbidden. The 
bonnets worn by the sisters were usually white straw, with 
plain ribbon, the colour of which formed the distinction of 
the choir. White was worn by the widows ; blue by the 
married women ; rose colour by the unmarried ; and red 
by girls from fourteen to eighteen years of age. 

The male choirs were not distinguished by any badges ; 
but they all wore very simple clothing, generally gray or 
brown. Mourning was never worn, as it was thought that 
death, or " returning to one's native land/' as Zinzendorf 
called it, was not a proper subject for sorrow. 

Then a night-watch was instituted, at which all the 
males from sixteen to sixty years of age took their turn ; 
each hour being announced by singing a verse of a 
hymn calculated to suggest holy thoughts to those who 
might be lying awake. In addition to these, some of the 
brethren and sisters established a system of continual 
prayer. They divided the twenty-four hours of the day 
and night among themselves, and agreed, each in succes- 
sion, to devote an hour to retirement and prayer. The 
whole Church of Christ was prayed for ; and every member 
of the community at Herrnhut was made the subject of 
particular intercession. At a subsequent period, it became 
the rule to offer petitions for the different communities of 
the Brethren, for each of the various choirs, for the mis- 



110 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



sionaries, the ministers, the evangelists, the authorities of 
the country, and for all mankind. These were the watchers 
on the walls of Jerusalem, that held not their peace day 
nor night.* 

These institutions, although put into a regular form by 
Zinzendorf, were for the most part the spontaneous pro- 
duct of the new life that permeated the whole community. 
In fact, the period of their origin was a season of grace 
given to the Church of the Brethren, after a time of 
trouble, to prepare them for fresh conflict. 

The 13th of August 1727 was a memorable day of 
blessing. The members had been convened in the parish 
church at Berthelsdorf for the observance of the Holy 
Supper ; and as the service proceeded the whole assembly 
became powerfully affected by the Divine presence. A 
pentecostal scene resulted. One and all renewed their 
vows to the Saviour, and declared their readiness to risk 
their lives in His service, and to go anywhere, or to un- 
dertake any duty, at His command. "In a word/' says 
David Nitschmann, " we were transported out of ourselves, 
and, young and old, all began a new, and I may say, a 
heavenly life." 

In the midst of this universal enthusiasm, Zinzendorf 
felt the necessity of labouring more than ever to maintain 
purity of doctrine, and to preserve his brethren from losing 
the simplicity of their faith. Hence he attached the utmost 
importance to the preaching of the gospel. In one of his 
writings, addressed to a theologian, during this year, and 
entitled, Considerations on the Duty of a Preacher, he 

* Isaiah lxii. 6. 



HOME WORK. 



Ill 



thus expresses his views of that sacred function : — " I will 
tell you very simply how the matter would appear to me if 
I had to preach. I lay it down as the first principle, that 
the -soul ought to be exclusively occupied with the things 
of God ; that the heart should always be full enough for 
the mouth to speak out of the abundance of the heart ; and 
that the good God has promised His children that it shall 
not be they who speak, but the Spirit of their Father ; and 
it shall be given them in the same hour what they are to 
speak. Further, I would never begin to speak without 
first having directed my thoughts to my own misery and' 
weakness, and to the depth of human misery generally, 
and the unfathomable love of God in Christ. This tends 
to keep us from speaking according to our own wisdom, 
and makes us glad to have to proclaim reconciliation. As 
to the subject of discourse, it should be the mystery of 
redemption by Christ, and the mystery of salvation. And 
it should ever be remembered that the hearers are not so 
much moved by arguments as by the feeling the speaker 
manifests." 

Zinzendorf never attempted the exposition of difficult 
passages, believing that this required a special gift. He 
confined himself to the enforcement of known and admitted 
truths, and said that he always succeeded best in this way. 
While distinguishing between theological principles that 
were undoubtedly true, such as were only probable, and 
others that were merely corollaries from either of these 
classes, he was extremely jealous of the smallest error. 
But he thought that, with the grace of God, and while 
adhering to essential and fundamental truths, and to what 



112 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



is confirmed by the clear and repeated declarations of 
Scripture, it was not so difficult as might be supposed to 
keep clear of mistakes in minor things. 

Zinzendorf not only spoke at the ordinary " meetings for 
edification/' but embraced every opportunity afforded by 
special occasions for exhibiting the way of salvation. When 
Eothe administered the Lutheran rite of baptism, or per- 
formed the ceremony of marriage or burial, the Count 
generally added a few words by way of impressing those 
present with the solemnity of the service they had engaged 
in, and calling their attention to the duties incumbent on 
them. Sometimes he read a portion of Scripture, or an 
extract frorn a religious work, and sometimes a letter 
containing interesting intelligence in reference to the 
kingdom of God at large. On one occasion, during 
the year of which we are writing, he read a brief re- 
sume of the history of the Brethren in Bohemia, Poland, 
and Moravia, from the work of Comenius. He had a 
great talent for reading, and his clearness and force of 
expression invested even commonplace facts with a pecu- 
liar charm. 

Singing was another of the means of religious improve- 
ment to which he attached great importance, and, with the 
assistance of his secretary, Tobias Frederick, who was a 
good musician, he organised meetings for psalmody. His 
stock of hymns, which he could at any time recall, was as 
wonderful as his power of extemporaneous composition. 
Sometimes he would sing a number of verses taken from 
various hymns, and interspersed with others, composed at 



HOME WOEK. 



113 



the moment, thus producing a kind of lyric discourse — an 
echo to the voice of the Hebrew prophets — which seems to 
have produced a profound impression. 

The meetings were becoming more and more frequent. 
Those who lived at a distance from Herrnhut sometimes 
brought their food with them, and eat it together ; and at 
other times the Count supplied them with what was neces- 
sary. This was the origin of what were called Agapes, or 
love-feasts. 

While this spiritual work was in progress, the Count did 
not overlook the general interests of the population that 
continued to increase around him. He entrusted the 
magisterial functions to an official representative at Ber- 
thelsdorf ; but all differences arising between the members 
of the church were decided by appeal to the Tribunal de 
Commune, a court of judges appointed for the purpose by 
the Brethren from their own number. Others were chosen 
to distribute alms ; others to take charge of the sick ; and 
others again to provide occupation for such as needed it, 
and to see that the work was properly done and fairly re- 
munerated. Besides these special officers there were in- 
spectors, whose duty it was to keep their eye on all that 
passed in the community, and to report any instances of 
disorderly conduct to the censors, who then expostulated 
with the offender in a fraternal spirit, and so sought to 
arrest the evil.. The influence that Zinzendorf exerted 
over the working of this system, so as to prevent it from 
degenerating into despotism or formalism, was a remark- 
able proof of his consummate wisdom ; and it showed that 

H 



114 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



" a greater than Solomon" was there. The life is u the 
light of men."* 

Another object of constant solicitude to the Count was 
the education of children. The college for young noble- 
men was converted into a house for orphans, to which he 
devoted a great deal of time and strength. His chief ob- 
ject in addressing the children was to impress their hearts 
with the simple truths of the gospel, and especially with 
the facts of the Saviour's life and death. He was at times 
greatly discouraged at the apparent fruitlessness of his 
efforts; but he laboured and prayed so much the more 
earnestly, and his prayers were heard. He had the joy of 
witnessing a spiritual movement among the children in 
Herrnhut ; and they were often to be seen wending their 
way, in little companies, to some of the retired spots on 
the sides of the Hutberg, to hold their meetings for prayer, 
when the Count would follow at some distance, and keep 
guard, to prevent any one from intruding on their privacy. 
When their service was over he would join them as they 
returned, and, as the happy band wound down the slopes 
of the hill, his rich voice might be heard, mingling with 
the sweet notes of the little ones, in the praises of God. 

" The greatest punishment for a child," he observes some- 
where, " should be to lose the privilege of taking part in 
prayer, singing, and religious meetings, or even to have no 
lessons, and in some cases not to be punis7ied." 

It is difficult to convey any idea of the prodigious activity 
of Zinzendorf at this period. In addition to the labours we 

* John i. 4. 



HOME WOKK. 



115 



have described, and the general oversight of the community, 
he found time to instruct the members of each choir as to 
the duties pertaining to their position ; and he held special 
conferences with the different classes of church officers, who 
all came to him in turn to receive his sympathy and advice. 
At other times he gathered round him some of the brethren 
and sisters who were more advanced than the rest, and 
read and explained to them some of the works of Sauler, a 
mystical preacher of the fourteenth century, whose teach- 
ings he then highly valued, though he soon afterwards 
abandoned his writings, because they spoke too little about 
Jesus Christ. In addition to all these occupations, Zinzen- 
dorf gave some of the young people lessons in writing, 
geography, and ecclesiastical history. 

The inhabitants of Herrnhut met for worship every morn- 
ing, at four o'clock in summer and five in winter. The 
Count did not usually join in this exercise, as his studies 
frequently kept him at work far into the night. But he 
conducted his own family worship at six o'clock. The day 
ended with a general meeting for psalmody, at the close of 
which Zinzendorf read a passage of Scripture or a verse of 
a. hymn, adding a few reflections, and leaving it for the 
hearers to think about on the morrow. This was called 
the word of command, and it was found exceedingly useful 
as supplying all the members of the community with one 
subject for meditation, and bringing them all under the 
influence of some one promise or precept. These mottoes 
were subsequently printed and distributed among the breth- 
ren, and the custom has been perpetuated to the present day. 



116 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The year 1728 witnessed an extension of the system at 
Herrnhut to Berthelsdorf , the inhabitants of the latter place 
having spontaneously expressed their desire to adopt the 
statutes which had borne such good fruit in the neighbour- 
ing colony. And thus the Count was permitted to realise 
even more than he had anticipated, in the complete re- 
establishment of union among the Moravian Brethren. 



CHAPTER X. 



OPPOSITION. 



Zinzendorf' s home occupations were frequently interrupted 
by journeys to distant places, in the course of which he pur- 
sued his invariable plan of preaching wherever he could 
find an opportunity. His example was now followed by 
some of the Brethren at Herrnhut, who went forth, having 
been commended to God in prayer, two or three together, 
sometimes for a special purpose, and sometimes with no 
definite object in view, beyond the desire to do something 
for the Lord. Four of these journeys, called messages, 
took place in the year 1727. The first was undertaken, at 
Zinzendorf s request, by John and David Nitschmann, in 
consequence of a wish expressed by Prince Charles of 
Denmark to know something of Herrnhut and the new 
Moravian Church. Another deputation visited England 
the year following, for a similar purpose ; and a third was 
sent to Jena, with a view to induce Dr Buddgeus, who had 
translated the History of the Brethren, by Comenius, into 
Latin, to prepare a translation in the German language. 
The Count had spent a short time at Jena on his last 
journey, and the deep impression then produced had not 
been forgotten. The messengers, who now arrived with a 
letter from Zinzendorf addressed to the students, were 



US 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



greeted with cordial affection ; and the students immedi- 
ately wrote to the Count, urging him to pay them a second 
visit. He responded to the call, and soon reached Jena, 
accompanied by his family. 

The university of Jena was at that thne one of the most 
nourishing in Germany. The faculty of theology was 
divided, as in most other places, by the controversies be- 
tween the orthodox school of Wittemberg and the Pietists 
of Halle ; and the philosophical world was divided also, by 
the rival parties for and against Wolf. In this withering 
atmosphere of contention religious life could hardly exist, 
and the moral habits of the students were daily degene- 
rating. Some few of them had reformed their ways, and 
were endeavouring to make themselves useful by devoting 
then leisure time to the instruction of poor children. They 
had frequent meetings for mutual encouragement in the 
cause of Christ ; but their religion lacked the spirit of the 
gospel, and they themselves felt that they had not yet 
found what they had been seeking. Among this class of 
students was Spangenberg, who was to become the suc- 
cessor and biographer of Zinzendorf. 

The personal character of the Count, the meetings he 
held, the powerful discourses he delivered, and the Chris- 
tian spirit that pervaded his own household, soon spread a 
happy influence around. One evening some students en- 
tered the place where he was to preach, for the express 
purpose of making a disturbance. The Count spoke on the 
words of the Saviour, Luke xiii. 24, " Strive to enter in at 
the strait gate ;" and the students, after listening to the 
end, quietly retired. 



OPPOSITION. 



119 



These meetings soon became so crowded that the Duke 
of Eisenach was alarmed, and in a confidential interview 
with the Count, in which he fully acknowledged the purity 
of the Count's motives, he begged him to avoid public 
excitement, and to make his meetings less frequent. 

After excursions to Weimar and other places, Zinzen- 
dorf left Jena towards the autumn, for a short stay at 
Halle, where his friends were eagerly awaiting him. The 
students of that city had heard of the movement in Jena, 
and they now requested him to organise a special society 
among them for the purpose of Christian fellowship. But 
as an attempt of this kind had failed in Jena, he was not 
disposed to risk a second disappointment, and therefore 
contented himself with receiving all who chose to come to 
him for religious conversation, and addressing earnest ap- 
peals to the students. During the eight days he spent at 
Halle he delivered fourteen discourses, one of them being 
given in the Pcedagogium, where he had passed his boyish 
years. 

The religious world in Germany was now filled with the 
fame of Zinzendorf ; and while he had many enthusiastic 
admirers, there were not a few who looked upon him with 
suspicion. In fact, a party now became formed against 
him that continued its opposition to the end of his days. 
During his absence from Herrnhut the faith and zeal of 
the Brethren had declined, and many among them became 
concerned at the precarious condition of their little church, 
as being unrecognised by other evangelical communions. 
They thought that this exposed them to serious difficulties, 
and might entail persecution ; and they began to canvass 



120 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



the question of dropping their distinctive name and cus- 
toms, and identifying themselves with the Lutheran Church. 
Some of the most influential members of the community 
sympathised with these views, and Kothe, who was never 
fully in harmony with the sentiments of Zinzendorf , was 
one of the first to advocate the proposed step, and Christian 
David was induced to take the same side. 

The Count received the tidings of this state of things 
while he was in J ena. It will be remembered that he had 
formerly entertained the opinions that were now gaining 
ground at Herrnhut. But his heart was grieved to find 
his friends so ready to sacrifice institutions which had 
already borne precious fruit, and on which the blessing of 
God had manifestly rested ; and he foresaw an inevitable 
division in the commimity. The most painful part of the 
matter, however, to his mind was the determining cause 
that had led to this movement. He felt that it was un- 
worthy of a Christian society to be influenced by the fear 
of suffering, and he was ashamed to think that any of his 
brethren could be moved by such a paltry consideration 
as this to resign the liberties which their forefathers had 
bought with their blood. 

After conferring with the Brethren around him who 
shared his views, he despatched to Herrnhut a protest in 
their name and his own, against any measures which would 
involve an abandonment of the ancient Moravian Church. 
The students and licentiates in Jena supported him, and 
followed up this communication by a letter of their own, 
urging the members of the community at Herrnhut to 
continue in the steps of their ancestors. 



OPPOSITION. 



121 



These events naturally cast a gloom over Zinzendo-rf s 
feelings on retiring to Herrnhut ; and although he mani- 
fested the same friendly spirit as ever towards Kothe and 
the rest, and regularly attended the meetings, he refrained 
from- speaking till he had fully discussed the matter with 
the elders. The result of this conference was that Christian 
David saw his error, and consented to be deprived of his 
office as an elder ; and his colleagues followed his example. 
After this, the statutes were carefully revised, and put into 
a new form, with certain important additions ; and to pre- 
vent their being regarded as a new confession of faith, the 
Count published them under the name of ordinances from 
his own hand as lord of the manor. One of the articles 
abolished mortmain and statute labour in Herrnhut for 
ever. 

These ordinances were put to the vote of the community, 
and unanimously adopted ; and peace having thus been 
restored, the reunion was celebrated by a love-feast. 

Kothe gradually ceased to take any part in the affairs of 
Herrnhut, and eventually, in 1737, left Berthelsdorf for 
another cure. But the Count redoubled his efforts for the 
spiritual advancement of the members of the church, and 
gave a course of lectures on the fruits of the Spirit, clas- 
sifying the list furnished by St Paul in the Epistle to the 
Galatians v. 22, and laid down by the same apostle in 1 
Cor. xiii. 13, under the three denominations of " faith, hope, 
and charity." 

He also introduced at this time, in the meetings held at 
his own house, the ceremony of washing the feet, taking 
the words of Jesus, John xiii. 14, 15, in the sense of a 



122 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



positive institution. It was afterwards adopted in public 
worship at Herrnhaag, in connexion with the Lord's Sup- 
per, but abolished in 1818. 

The various religious observances were gradually moulded 
into a more regular form than at first. The celebration of 
the Lord's Supper was fixed for once a month ; a special 
monthly day of prayer and thanksgiving was appointed; 
and the Count also drew up a digest of the names of per- 
sons, and of the various conditions in life, by way of assist- 
ing the memory in intercessory prayer. 

Up to this time no definite provision had been made for 
the exercise of ecclesiastical discipline. But it became 
indispensably necessary, and the circumstances that led to 
it were the following : — 

A gentleman came from a distant country, and wished 
to settle at Herrnhut ; and the Count would have readily 
given him permission, but his unchristian conduct obliged 
the elders to request him to withdraw. He consented to 
do so, but not until he had unhappily excited in many 
minds a restless and discontented spirit. He formed a 
little party around him, who complained of every officer 
in the church, including the elders ; and especially the 
Count, whom they accused of tyranny. The Count tried 
every means to bring them to a right mind, but in vain ; 
and he felt that the only course by which the peace of the 
community could be preserved was to cut off the offenders. 
He therefore made a solemn declaration, in a meeting of 
the church, that " all men animated by a spirit of dis- 
obedience, malice, and seduction, were and would be under 
the divine anathema and curse." Having said this, he 



OPPOSITION. 



123 



fell on his knees, in the presence of the whole assembly, 
and poured out a fervent prayer that God would have 
mercy on those on whom the sentence of excommunication 
had thus been pronounced. 

This was sufficient. Some repented, and others left 
Herrnhut of their own accord. 

Zinzendorf had usually punished cases of flagrant vice, 
or banished the culprit from his dominions, in virtue of his 
legal authority. But even in these cases he was exceed- 
ingly reluctant to use his power ; and, accordingly, he de- 
vised a method of avoiding this last resort. He made all 
the fathers of families in Herrnhut, and others who came 
and settled there from time to time, sign a promise for 
themselves, and those belonging to them, that they would 
abstain from things contrary to divine and human laws, 
such as drunkenness, licentiousness, and theft ; and that, 
if they did not keep this promise, they would sell their 
houses to the community, and leave Herrnhut. 

Zinzendorf s practical wisdom was also shown in the 
step he now took to keep up a vigorous administration of 
church affairs. With a view to bring out the talents of 
some of the younger men, and make them serviceable to 
the body at large, he resigned his own office as president, 
in 1730, and proposed that there should be a general 
election of new officers. The elders followed his example, 
and their places were immediately filled up. But the 
presidential chair remained vacant, as it proved very diffi- 
cult to find a successor to the Count. A number of active 
and zealous young people came forward and offered them- 
selves for any duties the elders might assign to them. 



124 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Work was soon found for them, and they were called 

helpers-general. 

Some time before these events, Zinzendorf had published 
a statement, drawn up and signed by the Brethren them- 
selves, in the presence of an imperial notary and other 
witnesses, by way of counteracting the false reports that 
had gone abroad in reference to the colony under his care. 
Public suspicion had been awakened, especially against the 
Count himself, on the score of what was called his in- 
differ elitism, but what really was his thorough catholicity. 
He was utterly regardless of many things which the theo- 
logians of his day thought to be of supreme importance ; 
and he believed in a vital union subsisting between all who 
loved Christ, in spite of the widest differences of opinion on 
subordinate matters. We have noticed his friendly inter- 
course with the Jansenist clergy, and how his desire to 
promote the spiritual welfare of the French Catholics led 
him to assist in the translation of Arndt's work, which he 
dedicated to Cardinal Noailles. He was now anxious to 
do something of the same sort for the Catholics of Ger- 
many ; and, with that view, published, in the year 1727, a 
selection of hymns and prayers, chiefly taken from a work 
of Angelus Silesius, one of the most eminent of the mystic 
poets of that country. Angelus, who lived in the middle 
of the seventeenth century, was born a Protestant, but 
went over to the Koman Catholic Church. Zinzendorf 
dedicated the book to Prince Fiirstenberg ; and it was well 
received by the Catholics, for whose use it was intended ; 
but it gave great offence to the Protestants ; and the 
Count was accused of leaning to Popery, or, at least, 



OPPOSITION. 



125 



wanting decision in his principles. The following year, 
however, encouraged by the success of the work, he formed 
a plan for publishing a more extended compilation of 
Catholic poetry, and obtaining the sanction of the pope ! 
He had no scruple about asking the approval of the 
sovereign pontiff, because he regarded him as the legal 
head of those who embraced the canons of the Council of 
Trent. 

" Inasmuch as the pope worships Christ crucified," he 
said, " he cannot, according to the definition of St John, 
be regarded as Antichrist/' Moreover, he had a great 
respect for the personal character of the man who at that 
time occupied the papal chair. Benedict XIII. (Orsini), 
the last pope of the Dominican order, was universally 
esteemed for his learning and piety, as well as for his 
tolerant spirit. Many of Zinzendorf s friends, among the 
prelates and nobles of the empire, had frequently suggested 
to him that it would be well to put himself in communica- 
tion with the pope ; and he, at length, resolved to prepare 
a letter for the purpose. But his evangelical principles, 
which he could not sacrifice, created a difficulty at the 
outset, as to the title by which he should address his holi- 
ness. This occasioned delay, and, other matters arising 
to occupy him, the letter was not sent, and the book did 
not appear. He had quite lost sight of the circumstance, 
when one day the draft of this letter, which he had inad- 
vertently left in a volume of Bayle's Dictionary, fell into 
the hands of one of his enemies, who took care to circulate 
a number of copies. It even appeared in a pamphlet 
written against Zinzendorf, twenty years afterwards ; and 



126 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



his opponents generally did not fail to make the most of it. 
Zinzendorf in correspondence with the pope ! became the 
universal war-cry ; and it was agreed, on all hands, that 
Zinzendorf aspired to the cardinal's hat. 

Nor was this all. The well-known repugnance of the 
Count to any intrusion of the civil power on the domain of 
religious belief, brought upon him the charge of entertain- 
ing views subversive of government ; while those who dis- 
liked religion called him a Pharisee ; and the preachers 
told their flocks that he and the Brethren at Herrnhut 
were the wolves in sheep's clothing foretold in the gospel. 

Attacks of this kind from the old orthodox school fell 
lightly upon Zinzendorf ; but it was not without consider- 
able pain that he found his former friends, the Pietists, 
who had been allied to him by common sentiment, taking 
the same hostile position. We have seen how Franke 
himself, though he became friendly with Zinzendorf to- 
wards the end of his life, was far from cordial at first. 
And there were others who plainly told him he was not 
converted, and had not yet passed through the " conflict of 
repentance," as the Pietists called it. One of those who 
affirmed this, was a pastor of the name of Mischke, on 
whose behalf the Count had interceded when he was suffer- 
ing persecution in Silesia. Statements of this kind, coming 
from men whom he looked upon as his spiritual teachers, 
greatly discouraged him, and caused him deep distress. 
It was only by a careful consideration of the steps by 
which God had led him, and after much earnest prayer, 
that he attained a full assurance of his adoption as a child 
of God, and he determined not to torment himself again 



OPPOSITION. 



127 



by doubt, but rather to acknowledge, and to give thanks to 
God for the grace bestowed on him. 

From this period his fears were scattered, and his heart 
was at rest ; but he found that he could no longer agree 
with the teachings of the Pietists ; and he did not hesitate 
to express himself freely against their system. 

Keferring to the agon pcenitentice, or conflict of re- 
pentance, he remarks, in his Reflexions Naturelles : — "I 
confess it is infinitely better for an infant to suffer from 
convulsions in teething than to die during the process 
because nature has not acted; but who ever heard of a 
physician maintaining that children must never cut their 
teeth til] they have been ill ? It would be a sad thing, 
indeed, to see theologians mercilessly insisting on this 
point ; and, when a soul has been born of the Spirit with- 
out passing through these spiritual convulsions, trying to 
snatch it from the arms of the Good Shepherd, and to 
give it to the wolf, because the process has not been ac- 
cording to their rules." . ..." It would be better to 
keep to what we find on every page of the New Testa- 
ment, and in the Old Testament too : ' Of his own will 
begat he us with the word of truth.'* ' The wind bloweth 
where it listeth ; so is every one that is born of God/ "f 

These observations only confirmed the unfavourable 
opinion which the Pietists had formed of the Count : they 
accused him of want of gravity ; and the paradoxical tone 

* James i. 18. 

t John iii. 8. Yinet has some observations on this subject from the 
same point of view, in his article on Ulric Guttinger. — Etudes sur la 
Literature frangaise au XIX. e siecle, vol. iii. 



128 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



that he was fond of employing, added to his great frank- 
ness of speech, gave serious offence. Their opposition 
grew more and more decided ; and they kept up a suc- 
cession of attacks. There was only one occasion, however, 
on which Zinzendorf retaliated with anything like impa- 
tience, weary as he was of their affected austerity, and of 
the moral bondage in which they held every one around 
them ; and then he said that there was only one race in 
the world that he could not endure — namely, "that 
wretched species of Christians, who style themselves 
Pietists, though no one else gives them credit for deserv- 
ing the name." 

Some years before the period to which we are now re- 
ferring, the celebrated jurisconsult Thomasius had told 
Zinzendorf that he wished him much success, for his ene- 
mies would be called legion. And so it came to pass. 
During the year 1729, pamphlets were poured forth against 
him from all sides, and though he was little known every 
one condemned him. " It was like the cry of fire in a 
village," says Spangenberg, " when everybody runs out 
shouting fire ! though very often nobody knows where the 
fire is, or even whether there is one at all." 

The bitterest of all these missives emanated, as one 
would hardly have expected, from the ranks of the Catholic 
clergy. The author was a Jesuit missionary, known as 
Pere Kegent, employed in Silesia to convert the followers 
of Schwenkfeld. Finding that the protection the Count 
gave these people stood in his way, he denounced the 
Brethren at Herrnhut as a new sect of a most dangerous 
kind. Zinzendorf, according to his custom at that time, 



OPPOSITION. 



129 



took no notice of this assault ; but Bothe and other friends 
of his, who were involved in the charge, determined to 
refute it. The Count could not oppose their purpose, but 
he requested that no reference might be made to any of the 
aspersions cast upon him as an individual. However, as 
his assailant had mixed up with the theological elements 
of the matter certain political insinuations, calculated 
seriously to compromise Herrnhut with the imperial 
court, the Count thought it his duty to prevent this, and 
hastened to lay an explanatory statement before the 
Cabinet of Vienna. Pere Tcennemann, the emperor's 
confessor, arranged the business in the most courteous 
manner, so as to give the Count the utmost facility in 
carrying out his plan. 

Though forsaken by his former friends while he was 
under the fire of these foes, Zinzendorf was greatly en- 
couraged by the sympathy of Jablonsky, the chief preacher 
at the court of Berlin. Jablonsky's mother was a daughter 
of the famous bishop of the United Brethren, Amos 
Comenius. His father also received episcopal consecra- 
tion in 1662, after the breaking up of the old Church, 
and at a time when the scattered members could only 
"hope against hope."* And Jablonsky himself bore the 
title of bishop from the year 1699, though it was hardly 
anything more than a memento of the past. 

Zinzendorf had written to Jablonsky, though he had 
no personal knowledge of him, to inform him of the re- 
constitution of a little Moravian community at Herrnhut, 

* Episcopus Ecclesicc Bohemo-Moravce in spem contra spem. See the 
Geneva Manuscript. 

I 



130 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



and gave him an account of the circumstances through 
which it had passed, and the blessing that had attended 
it. "I rejoice," replied Jablonsky, " to learn that God, 
in His sovereign goodness, has preserved this little flock 
of Bohemian and Moravian Brethren, who, though de- 
spised by the world, were the precursors of the Keforma- 
tion. I bless God for His merciful ways ! May He deign 
to continue His care over this little flock, and still raise up 
for it nursing fathers and nursing mothers, as He has done 
in a marvellous manner ! " In another letter he observes : 
" You have made possible, and even realised what might 
have been looked upon as a Platonic Republic, or some- 
thing more to be desired than to be hoped for." And in 
writing to Zinzendorf the following year, he expressed 
his regret at finding, from various publications, that the 
institutions founded at Herrnhut had been made the sub- 
ject of reproach. " But/' he adds, " it cannot be other- 
wise ; if ye were of the world, the ivorld would love his 
own, but because ye are not of the world, the world hateth 
you. The servants of Christ cannot escape any more than 
their Master." 

Though harassed by the intolerance of his own enemies, 
Zinzendorf continued his zealous efforts on behalf of others 
who, like himself, suffered for their faith. Although he 
had lost cast among the theologians, he was still held in 
sufficient repute among men of high station to give weight 
to his appeals in the cause of the oppressed, and he made 
the utmost use of this influence. At the very time when 
the Pietists were assailing him, a number of preachers in 
Silesia who belonged to this school, being harassed by the 



OPPOSITION. 



131 



imperial Government, he came forward and boldly defended 
them. One would have thought that this would have dis- 
armed the doctors of Halle, and induced them to judge 
him more leniently. But Zinzendorf spoilt everything by 
extending the like protection to their opponents ! He took 
a lively interest in the fate of a fanatic named Tuchtfeld, 
who was an avowed enemy of the Pietists at Halle, and 
spoke in violent terms against all ecclesiastical institutions. 
Tuchtfeld travelled from place to place, haranguing the 
people in the market-places, in the fields, and in the 
woods, and wherever he could gather an audience ; till the 
Berlin Government imprisoned him as a madman. 

Zinzendorf addressed a letter directly to the king of 
Prussia, imploring pardon for this unfortunate man. " I 
do not wish," he said, 11 to justify the conduct of Tucht- 
feld ; but if your Majesty deigns to set him at liberty, I 
will take him for a time on my hands, and I will endea- 
vour, with the assistance of persons against whom he has 
no prejudice, to temper his indiscreet zeal. Who knows 
but he may yet become a useful instrument in the Church 
of Christ ?" 

The king immediately ordered some mitigation of 
Tuchtfeld's hardships, and soon afterwards released him. 
In the course of a few years the man was restored to a 
sound state of mind, and was appointed preacher at one of 
the German courts, where he fulfilled the hope that his 
friend had cherished. 

In the month of August 1730, we find the Count carrying 
out a purpose he had long entertained of visiting a colony 
of persecuted people of all sorts, who had taken refuge in 



132 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



the little town of Berleburg and the neighbouring village 
of Schwarzenau in Westphalia. Unlike Herrnhut, Berle- 
burg was a Babel of discordant creeds, and a scene of the 
bitterest contention between various sects. On Zinzendorf s 
arrival he found, among the most prominent characters in 
this noisy camp, a man named Dippel, who had acquired 
some celebrity for literary and scientific knowledge under 
the assumed name of Christianus Democritus, but was 
too fond of employing irony and satire in the defence of 
religion. Though Zinzendorf could not approve of the 
weapons that Dippel relied upon, he greatly admired his 
dialectic skill, and he remarked, in reference to one of 
Dippers works, (the Evangelical Demonstration,) that it 
was " almost divine/' Dippel was a Christian philosopher, 
rather than a Christian. He lacked the experience of 
divine grace, and the system he constructed entirely over- 
looked the grand fact of redemption. The abuse which 
had been made of this doctrine in the orthodox Lutheran 
Church led him to think that it only served to lull the 
conscience into a fatal sleep, and he thought it his duty to 
warn people against it as a delusive ground of hope. As 
Spangenberg remarks : — " Many evangelical divines, such 
as Arndt, had already urged the necessity of man's co- 
operation in the work of his salvation, and had protested 
against the abuse made of the gospel by those who hardened 
themselves in sin. In doing this they may perhaps have 
failed to lay sufficient emphasis on the sacrifice of Christ ; 
but they never abandoned it, or substituted anything else 
as the foundation of all true Christianity. Dippel, on the 
other hand, openly attacked the doctrine of expiation ; but 



OPPOSITION. 133 



the respect lie felt for the Count induced him to listen 
attentively to his preaching, and they had many conversa- 
tions which were not without a happy result." 

Dippers heart was touched, and his prejudices began to 
give way ; but he preferred his philosophy, and rejected the 
impressions of the truth. Zinzendorf noted the fact, with- 
out perhaps making sufficient allowance for it. They con- 
tended for a time on a friendly footing ; but the imprudent 
zeal of some of Zinzendorf s friends soon led to alienation. 

The meetings which the Count held at Berleburg, and 
his discourses, produced a powerful impression. Even the 
Jews crowded to hear him, and were often melted to tears. 
A spirit of union sprang up among the Christians, and 
some who had been long excluded from the Church for 
renouncing the institution of the Lord's Supper, and had 
neglected it for sixteen years, abandoned their errors, and 
declared that they would in future take the Word of God 
as the only rule of their conduct, and sealed their vow by 
the solemn celebration of that sacred ordinance. 

But this happy change was of short duration. 

There was at that time a little religious society at Budin- 
gen, in the county of Ysemburg, called the Inspired. Hav- 
ing heard that the Count was at Berleburg, they wrote and 
asked him to pay them a visit. Zinzendorf consented. He 
was well received among them, and soon gained their con- 
fidence. The most influential man among them was a 
saddler named John Frederick Kock, who was said to be 
occasionally subject to divine inspiration. " I found him 
to be a sober man," says Zinzendorf, " without any affecta- 
tion or presumption ; he had none of the stubbornness of 



134 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



a sectary, but listened to what one said, and seldom contra- 
dicted. He was rich in pastoral experience. The conver- 
sations I had with him were much blessed to me, and I 
shall never forget them." 

While the Count was at Budingen he saw Kock in one of 
his ecstasies. At these times, though usually so calm and 
collected, Kock suddenly began to tremble from head to 
foot, his head moving backwards and forwards with in- 
describable rapidity. In this state he pronounced a suc- 
cession of broken words, which his followers believed to be 
inspired, and therefore treasured them up with great care. 

" The sight," says Zinzendorf, " terrified me ; but the 
more extraordinary it seemed, and the greater repugnance 
I felt, the more careful I was to suspend my judgment, 
inasmuch as I had never seen how the ancient prophets 
appeared ; and, moreover, the repulsive effect of anything 
is no reason why it should be false, or why we should 
reject it." 

Zinzendorf witnessed this phenomenon upon another oc- 
casion, when Kock was at Herrnhut ; but he became more 
and more suspicious of it, and at length altogether rejected 
the claims of Kock to the credit of inspiration, as he found 
that the communications he professed to receive did not 
always agree with the Word of God. But he still looked 
upon him as a true Christian. " It has not been proved to 
me," he said in one of his letters, " that a child of God may 
not be led astray by his reason or his imagination. If I did 
not believe this to be possible, I should have to admit the 
damnation of many very pious souls, who have fallen into 
foolish and erroneous ideas, — things which will all be con- 



OPPOSITION. 



135 



sumed, whilst the souls themselves will he saved, as through 
fire."* At another time he wrote: "When my friend 
John Frederick comes to me with his systematic and 
hypostatic heart only tilled with faith and with love to 
Christ, I say to him, Flesh and blood hath not revealed 
that to thee, but my Father tvhich is in heaven, f But 
when you say that an institution established by Christ 
may be changed, perfected, or abandoned, and that a 
Church may exist without it, then my love to my Master 
forces me to give a sharp reply, though I spoke to you 
affectionately a moment before, and to say, Get thee behind 
me, Satan ; thou art an offence unto me" % 

It is needless to say that this visit of Zinzendorf to the 
sectaries of Berleburg, and to the inspired at Biidingen, 
were made the subject of severe animadversion. " He 
might have foreseen this," says Spangenberg, " but he was 
not likely to be influenced by a consideration of this kind 
against a course which appeared to him to be accordant 
vdth the will of God. The Protestants of that age usually 
treated those who were in error very harshly; and they 
looked with great suspicion upon the tenderness manifested 
towards them by the Count." He himself subsequently 
saw good reason to modify his procedure in this respect, 
but he said he was perfectly sure that God, who knew his 
motives, would not condemn him. 

* 1 Cor. iii. 15. t Matt. xvi. 17. X Matt. xvi. 23. 



CHAPTER XL 



VISIT TO DENMARK. 

On his return to Herrnhut, Zinzendorf resumed his ac- 
customed activity, and laboured with indefatigable zeal for 
the spiritual advancement of those who had become his 
special charge. When any one came to him for the pur- 
pose of religious conversation, he was extremely careful not 
to lose the opportunity of doing good, and he would never 
be the first to close the interview, even though it lasted the 
whole night. On the 16th of February 1731, he wrote, in 
his journal, referring to the excessive and anxious occupa- 
tion of the day : "If I had many days like this, I think I 
should die. But all this is so much seed for eternity. 
There is not one of our tears that He does not treasure 
up." 

He never allowed a fault to pass unnoticed, especially in 
the officers of the Church, though he never assumed the 
air of a superior, but expostulated, as a brother, with those 
who had erred, mingling his prayers and tears with theirs. 
Spangenberg tells us that when any gross sin had been 
committed, Zinzendorf would often weep with the guilty 
person, and if he found him in despair on account of his 
crime, he would use every effort to console him. Such 
was the pity he felt for one " whom God had punished/' 



VISIT TO DENMAEK. 



137 



he said, " with the most terrible of punishments, by leav- 
ing him to fall into sin." On the other hand, however, 
there were certain inconsistencies which many would think 
little of, but which he treated with the utmost severity. 
" He raged like a lion," says his biographer just quoted, 
" at the sin of envy, pride, or bitterness of spirit ; he would 
hear nothing, and nothing would pacify him." And the 
reason he assigned was full of significance. "We can 
never be too watchful," he said, " against these first symp- 
toms, — this is the only way to prevent a fall." At the 
same time, if any one disregarded his warnings, and fell 
into outward misconduct, Zinzendorf did not give him up, 
but, on the contrary, entertained the hope that his trans- 
gression would reveal to him the evil of his heart, and 
drive him to Jesus Christ for deliverance. 

Of all things that Zinzendorf hated, hypocrisy was the 
most intolerable to him. A woman, who had resided some 
time at Herrnhut, had been accustomed to talk a great 
deal about her spiritual distress, representing that she de- 
sired to be converted, and that she earnestly prayed for it, 
but that the Lord was deaf to her entreaties. Some doubt 
had been felt at times as to these professions, but she 
always protested her sincerity. At last, one day, when the 
Count had been speaking about hypocrisy, and referring to 
the case of Ananias and Sapphira, to show the horrible 
character of this sin in the sight of God, the woman, who 
was present, suddenly fell on the ground, and had to be 
carried away in a state of insensibility. When she re- 
covered she confessed that, up to that moment, she had 
persisted in the most abominable hypocrisy. 



138 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Another instance is on record of the power with which 
the Spirit of God sometimes attended Zinzendorf 's ministry. 
A Moravian of the name of Minister, who had been many 
years an inhabitant of Herrnhut, and had formerly pur- 
sued a happy and consistent course, became gradually 
altered, and after some disputes with another of the 
Brethren, sank into hopeless melancholy, and lost all con- 
fidence in God. He resolved at last to quit Herrnhnt. 

One night the Count, who had observed this man for 
several months with great anxiety, but had never found 
an opportunity of talking to him, felt so concerned about 
him that, although it was ten o'clock, he could not resist 
the impulse to go out and seek him. It happened to be 
the very hour that Miinster had fixed for his departure, 
and Zinzendorf met him at his door. " How are you ? " 
said Zinzendorf. " Not well," the poor man replied, in a 
hollow voice ; and when the Count proceeded to speak to 
him in his own kind way, he burst into tears, and this was 
the only answer he could return. The next day, however, 
he came to Zinzendorf, and told him the sad tale of his 
woe. He remained at Herrnhut, and continued a faithful 
and consistent member of the Church to the end of his 
days. 

We have referred to the deep interest taken by the 
Count in the education of the young, and the views he 
entertained on this subject. For some time he carried on 
the work himself, but with only partial success. He did 
not possess the requisite gifts, and, besides being too sen- 
sitive to the faults of his scholars, he was too much 
occupied with the general direction of the Church to 



VISIT TO DENMARK. 



139 



admit of his devoting much time to this department of 
labour. 

The care of the sick was another object to which the 
Brethren at Herrnhut zealously gave themselves. Zinzen- 
dorf thought that the cure of disease commenced in the 
soul. He believed that Grod has a special purpose to 
accomplish when He afflicts His children, and that it 
is their first duty to seek to know what this purpose 
is. As soon as the real cause of the visitation is ascer- 
tained, and when the message it conveys has been obeyed, 
then, he said, it is right to pray for healing, and to 
expect it. 

Several extraordinary cases of recovery through faith 
and prayer occurred at Herrnhut at this time. The Count 
rejoiced at them, and blessed God with all his heart. In 
one instance his own prayer was answered in a very re- 
markable manner. But he was apprehensive lest the 
Brethren should allow themselves to be too much taken 
up with matters of this kind ; and hence, on one occasion, 
when one of these sudden restorations took place, he spoke 
of it as a very simple circumstance that need not excite 
any special attention. He took pains to insist on the fact 
that miracles were not intended for believers, but for un- 
believers ; and that the faith which works miracles is a 
gift not necessarily associated with true piety. The great 
thing, he maintained, was to love Christ, and to go to Him 
for everything. 

It will be remembered that in the year 1728 the Brethren 
at Herrnhut were on the point of a fusion with the Lutheran 
Church, but for the strong opposition offered by the Count ; 



140 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



and it is somewhat surprising to find him only two years 
later reviving the project himself. 

It was not the fear of persecution that led to this 
singular change in his views, though his adversaries were 
by no means weary of their assaults. When they could 
not succeed in fixing reproach on his character, they made 
the very blamelessness of his life a ground of objection, 
and said that he sought to make amends for his heterodox 
doctrines by legal works. Zinzendorf took no notice of the 
contradictory communications addressed to him from all 
sides in reference to these reports, but a23pealed to the Searcher 
of hearts. Once only, having met with a pamphlet, by a 
person of the name of Weidner, charging him, among other 
things, with rejecting infant baptism, he hastened to reply, 
informing the author that the Countess had just presented 
him with a daughter, and requesting that he would do 
them the favour to stand as sponsor at the baptism. 

But what Zinzendorf would not have done from fear, 
he did in the spirit of charity, and for the good of others. 
Besides which, the opinions of men for whom he felt an 
esteem had a certain influence on him at this time, superior 
as he was to the judgment of his enemies. It was at a 
subsequent period that he adopted the rule of the miller 
in the fable, to let people's praise and blame alike enter at 
one ear and go out at the other. 

It is difficult to say whether these were his only reasons 
for the line of action he now pursued. Our primary 
motives are often known only to ourselves. Who can tell 
how many conflicting arguments may have crossed the 
sensitive mind of Zinzendorf ? In the course of a great 



VISIT TO DENMARK. 



141 



work there is sure to be a point at which even the strongest 
minds look back and hesitate as to whether they shall 
advance or retreat. While fanaticism dashes heedlessly on, 
the firmest and purest faith trembles and falters. 

The Count first communicated his thoughts on this 
subject to the elders, and then proposed, in an assembly 
of the Brethren, that the constitution of the Church at 
Herrnhut should be abolished, and that they should unite 
with the Lutheran Church, to prevent the community, 
which had been founded for the sake of Christian union, 
from becoming a source of division. The proposal, how- 
ever, met with little favour. The Brethren were unwilling 
to part with institutions which had become hallowed and 
endeared by many tokens of divine blessing; and the 
arguments employed by the Count on the other side of the 
question, two years before, were now reproduced against 
him. There was a long and earnest discussion, which 
resulted in a unanimous resolution to refer the matter to 
divine arbitration, by the use of the lot. Two pieces of 
paper were thrown into the urn, one inscribed with the 
words, 1 Cor. ix. 21, "To them that are without law, as 
without law, (being not without law to God, but under the 
law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without 
law;" and the other with the exhortation of St Paul, 2 
Thess. ii. 15, " Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold 
the traditions which ye have been taught." Fervent prayer 
was offered, and then Zinzendorf's little son, Christian 
Kene, a child of three years old, put his hand into the urn 
and brought out the injunction to stand fast. 

This was enough, and Zinzendorf was now convinced 



142 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



that God was with the Church of the Brethren, and he 
resolved from this moment to devote himself more than 
ever to its interests. He was anxious, if possible, to put 
himself in a more favourable position for carrying out this 
purpose ; and he thought it would be desirable to seek ec- 
clesiastical consecration. But he still held the title of coun- 
cillor at the court of Saxony, though he had for some time 
given up the active duties of that office ; and it was requisite 
that the title itself should be relinquished. It might seem 
a very simple and easy matter to do this. But there were 
difficulties connected with it which demanded serious con- 
sideration. The idea of a member of the Aulic Council 
resigning his office to become a minister of the gospel was 
something so unprecedented, that it was sure to produce 
great excitement, and to shock many of his friends. In 
order to avoid this undesirable result, Zinzendorf deter- 
mined to transfer himself from the service of the Elector 
of Saxony to that of the King of Denmark. His appoint- 
ment at the Danish court would only be nominal, and he 
could easily withdraw from that to enter the ecclesiastical 
state ; besides which he thought this would give time for 
his circle in Dresden to forget him, and thus the step he 
contemplated would not attract so much attention. While 
the electoral government was not at all favourable to 
Herrnhut, the piety of Christian VI. afforded a reasonable 
ground of hope that his support would not be wanting to 
the new community ; and it is not unlikely that the Count 
may have had an eye to some future missionary enter- 
prise in the pagan regions belonging to Denmark, such as 
Greenland and Lapland. 



VISIT TO DENMARK. 



143 



In the month of April 1731, Zinzendorf set out for 
Copenhagen with the approval of the Church at Herrnhut, 
and accompanied by some of the Brethren. He was re- 
ceived in the most favourable manner, and every possible 
mark of distinction was lavished upon him. 

The Danish court at that time presented an interesting 
scene. " It was a kind of twilight," says Spangenberg, 
" and it seemed uncertain whether the light or the dark- 
ness would triumph. A religious awakening had taken 
place among the clergy, in the king's cabinet, and in the 
royal family itself ; though many persons of high rank and 
powerful influence were jealous of the movement." 

The king was greatly taken with Zinzendorf, and, in a 
confidential interview, offered him an appointment as one 
of his ministers of state. This, however, the Count at 
once refused, stating that he did not aspire to such a dis- 
tinction, and that all he desired was some office which 
would admit of his continuing in connexion with Herrn- 
hut, and would offer him the opportunity of doing some- 
thing for the kingdom of God in the Danish dominions. 
Contrary to his expectations, however, his scheme broke 
down. He made too little pretension and was passed by. 
No doubt there were intriguing heads at work, who did 
what they could to prevent his gaining too much ascend- 
ancy over the young king. 

It was the king's wish that Zinzendorf should be pre- 
sent at the ceremony of his coronation, which was about to 
take place at Friedrichsburg ; and he, accordingly, sent 
one of his own carriages to fetch him, and assigned him 
one of the handsomest apartments in the castle. Zinzen- 



144 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



dorf soon learnt that it was the king's intention to confer 
upon him the order of the Danebrog ; and Ins first impulse 
was to decline it, for he thought it might stand in the way 
of the objects that he had so much at heart. But, finding 
that his refusal would give offence to the king, he deter- 
mined to accept the honour, holding hims elf at liberty to 
resign it at any time he wished. 

The young monarch sent for him, gave him the warmest 
assurances of his esteem and affection, and fastened on the 
band of the order with his own hand. " I almost thought 
you would not accept it," said the queen. " Why not, 
your majesty?'' replied the Count. "I would not mind 
being a footman, for Christ's sake, if it were necessary." 

A few days after this event, Zinzendorf presented to the 
king a paper, detailing a plan that he was revolving, to 
found " a new university, which woidd fill the world with 
the knowledge of the gospel." Christian VI. read the 
paper with great interest, and told the Count that he had 
long had a somewhat similar idea in his own mind. But 
nothing came of it, as the young king was not in a position 
to attempt such an enterprise without the co-operation of 
his ministers ; and they were little likely to favour a 
scheme emanating from a foreigner whose influence they 
distrusted. 

Zinzendorf quitted Denmark more weary than ever with 
the vanities of the world. " He had seen," says one of his 
biographers, " that a pious court is a court still." In 
wiiting to the Countess, he remarked: "E there is any 
good to be done at court, I shall not undertake to do it ; 
for so much time is lost in the veriest trifles, that I should 



VISIT TO DENMAKK. 



145 



not like to go before God having to answer for such a bad 
use of my days and hours." 

His idea of an exchange of places having thus proved 
abortive, he simply resigned his office in Saxony, and gave 
the king a full explanation of his motives, together with a 
precise account of the institutions at Herrnhut, about which 
such false reports were in circulation. 

But although his visit to Denmark had apparently failed, 
in so far as his own plans were concerned, it led to results 
of great importance. 

From the time that Zinzendorf used to listen to the 
thrilling facts brought home by the missionaries, and told 
in the meetings at Halle, he had never ceased to feel an 
enthusiastic interest in the salvation of the heathen ; and 
he had not forgotten the vow he made with Watteville, 
to labour for this cause whenever the way should open. 
Missions to the heathen had already been established in 
some parts of Denmark and its colonies ; and although 
they had accomplished but little, there was reason to hope 
that, under the reign of such a sovereign as Christian VI., 
they might be revived and extended. Hence the idea that 
sprang up in Zinzendorf s mind of founding in that coun- 
try a missionary university, or school for the training of 
missionaries to labour in all parts of the world. But the 
providence of God had other designs in view; and they 
were brought to pass by an apparently trifling circum- 
stance. 



K 



CHAPTER XII. 



MISSIONS TO THE NEGKOES. 

While the Count was at Copenhagen, he met with two 
Greenlanders, who told him about Egedius, whose devoted 
missionary labours seemed to have been almost a failure. 
The Count was grieved to hear of this disappointment ; 
but he was still more concerned to find that the promoters 
of the enterprise were thinking of recalling Egedius, and 
abandoning the field. 

It so happened, at the same time, that the Count fell in 
with a converted negro from the island of St Thomas, 
whom he questioned about the slaves in the Danish co- 
lonies. The poor man drew a momnful picture of their 
condition, the oppression they were suffering, and their 
utter ignorance of the gosjDel ; and he assured the Count 
that, if any one would go and preach to them, there were 
many of them who would welcome the glad tidings of sal- 
vation. " I have a sister in bondage,'' he added ; " and I 
am sure she would be converted if she could only hear 
about Jesus Christ" Zinzendorfs heart was moved ; and 
he thought he saw the finger of G-od pointing to the work 
that was in store for him. Delighted with the prospect, he 
wrote to the Countess, to tell her what had passed : — " Yes- 
terday," he says, " I had a very friendly interview with 



MISSIONS TO THE NEGROES. 



147 



Count Laurwig. He wishes to come and see us. He has 
given me permission to bring his black slave, Antoine, 
home with me, as I want him to see Herrnhut, and to 
prepare the way for an effort on behalf of the negroes of 
Africa and America. The Danish missions in Greenland 
and Lapland have been abandoned. The way is open for 
any one who will undertake the work. I see a vast field 
before me. May the Lord be pleased to say, Amen ! " 

"On the 23d of July 1731," says Spangenberg, " the 
day after the Count returned to Herrnhut, he reported, in 
the meeting then held, what he had heard at Copenhagen 
as to the wretched state of the negroes. By the grace 
of God, his words produced such an effect upon Leonard 
Dober,* one of the Brethren, that he there and then re- 
solved to offer himself as a missionary to these poor en- 
slaved races. The same resolution was formed, at the same 
time, by another of the brotherhood, Tobias Leopold ; but, 
although they were intimate friends, they said nothing to 
each other on the subject until they had each spread the 
matter before the Lord. After an almost sleepless night, 
Leonard Dober opened the Bible, on the morning of 
July 24, to seek for some direction from above, and his 
eye fell on this passage : — ' For it is not a vain thing for 
you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye 
shall prolong your days in the land whither ye go over 
Jordan to possess it/ (Deut. xxxii. 47.) These words 
greatly strengthened him. He then communicated his 

* Leonard Dober was a Suabian potter, who had settled at Herrnhut. 
He was, as will be seen, the last elder of the Church of the Brethren, and 
afterwards became bishop. 



148 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



thoughts to Leopold, by whom they were warmly recipro- 
cated ; and they knelt together before God, and told Him 
the desire of their hearts. 

" On the 25th of July, Leopold wrote to the Count, and 
informed him that he and Leonard Dober felt impelled to 
go and preach to the negroes. 

" Their letter was read that evening in the meeting for 
psalmody, but their names were not mentioned. 

" On the 29th of July, the negro, referred to in Zinzen- 
dorf 's letter to the Countess, arrived from Copenhagen, and 
a short time afterwards gave his own account, in one of 
the gatherings of the Brethren, of the deplorable condition 
of the black population in the West Indies. But he stated 
it as his belief that it would be impossible for a missionary 
to reach these poor creatures in any other way than by be- 
coming a slave himself, for their toils were so incessant and 
exhausting, that there was no chance of instructing them, 
except when they were at work. 

" This, however, did not frighten Dober or his friend 
Leopold, but only conrlrmed them in their resolution. 
The matter then being referred to the council of the com- 
munity, it was decided that Leonard Dober should go to 
the West Indies, but that Leopold should remain a while 
longer at Herrnhut. A year, however, elapsed before 
Dober set out, on the 21st of August 1732. 

" Such was the commencement of the mission of the 
Brethren in the Danish islands of St Thomas, Santa Crux, 
and St John." 

Other missionaries soon offered themselves for Green- 
land. Some of the Count's companions, who had been 



MISSIONS TO THE NEGEOES. 



149 



with him in Copenhagen, communicated to the same 
meeting in which the negro spoke what they had heard 
about the Greenlanders and the efforts of Egedius; and 
when the letter of Dober and Leopold was read, two days 
afterwards, two other Brethren felt a strong desire to con- 
secrate themselves to the cause of the heathen in northern 
regions. But these Brethren were young, — " young in 
years and young in grace," says Spangenberg, — and hesi- 
tated for some time on account of their own unfitness. 
They waited till they felt assured that the Lord had called 
them to this work, before they mentioned the subject to 
Zinzendorf, and he kept them some time without any 
answer. At length, however, when he found that they 
fully adhered to their purpose, he gave his consent ; but 
their departure was deferred, like that of the other mission- 
aries, for a whole year, and they did not set out till the 9th 
of January 1733. 

Zinzendorf himself was the chief cause of these delays, 
as he was extremely anxious to make sure that the Breth- 
ren who offered themselves were really called to the mis- 
sionary work. Before consenting to let Dober go, he took 
him on a journey to Neustadt-on-the-Eske, that he might 
have an opportunity for closer acquaintance with him. 
He felt the importance of undertakings of this nature too 
much to allow any one to enter upon them rashly. So far 
indeed from encouraging any one who happened to express 
an inclination for missionary work, if he saw the least in- 
dication of regret, or the slightest hesitation, he considered 
this to be a sufficient reason for stopping any one who was 
about to start. " I know he would have done this/' says 



150 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Spangenberg, "in such a case, even if the brother had 
been on board the ship, and the ship had been on the point 
of sailing." 

It should be added that the Count never gave any in- 
structions to those who went forth on this errand, but 
simply "commended them to Grod and His grace/' (Acts 
xx. 32.) 



CHAPTER XIII. 



DEALINGS WITH EMIGEANTS. 

When Zinzendorf returned from Denmark to Herrnhut, 
-he found seventy-four new comers who had arrived in his 
absence. He received them with his usual Mndness and 
generosity, although he had reason to expect fresh troubles 
from this renewed process of emigration, as he was accused 
of being the instigator, and the Government of Dresden 
now expostulated with him on the subject. He replied 
that the charge made against him of promoting emigration 
was utterly unfounded, and, to prove this, he opened an 
inquiry, and questioned each one of the new settlers. Their 
evidence went to show that they had left their country 
from an earnest desire for freedom to profess their faith ; 
and they had given good proof of their sincerity by forsak- 
ing all they possessed. 

One commune of Moravia sent a deputation to Zinzen- 
dorf to demand the extradition of two of its members who 
had taken refuge at Herrnhut. He received the deputies 
with great respect, and after referring the matter to his 
court of justice, sent them an official reply sealed with his 
own seal. 

" The Count," it was said, in this document, " has no 
desire to draw the inhabitants of other countries into his 



152 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



dominions ; and those who are now demanded are free to 
return to their own land. But as they both declare that 
they cannot profess the Catholic faith, without professing 
which it is not lawful for them to remain in Moravia, and 
as they are resolved to suffer the loss of all that they have 
s gained by the sweat of their brow, rather than do that, the 
Count cannot in conscience send them back against their 
wih." 

While, however, the Count resolutely defended the 
sacred rights of conscience, he was careful to keep within 
the limits of justice, and to uphold the principles of moral 
rectitude with the strictest impartiality. A case in point 
occurred when one of these refugees, who had secretly re- 
turned to Moravia to see his parents, was arrested and 
thrown into prison. The authorities, not knowing what to 
do with him, released him after a time, and gave him a 
safe-conduct, which stated that he had recanted. On his 
return to Herrnhut, Zinzendorf and the Brethren, to whom 
the man communicated what had passed, felt some scruples 
as to the pretence under which he was liberated. After 
conferring on the subject they decided that, as he owed his 
liberty to a false representation, he ought to go back to 
Moravia and make himself a prisoner again. He at once 
left Herrnhut, and carried out this decision to the letter. 
Fortunately for him, the Government was not disposed to 
trouble itself about the matter, and he was told rather 
roughly that he might go about his business. But the 
brave man refused to leave the place till a document had 
been given him, certifying that he had duly presented himself. 

The storm, however, continued to gather, and threatened 



DEALINGS WITH EMIGKANTS. 



153 



to break upon Zinzendorf. His aunt, Madlle. Gersdorf, 
had never approved of what had been done at Herrnhut, 
and had kept entirely away from the place. But in spite 
of this, circumstances arose that placed her in a posi- 
tion analogous to that of her nephew. Some Bohemian 
families, who had fled to Lusatia on account of religious 
persecution, asked her to give them an asylum at Henners- 
dorf. She had granted their request, and appointed John 
Liberda, a Lutheran minister, as their pastor. The 
preaching of Liberda produced a revival of religion, and 
the Bohemian Brethren began to flock to Hennersdorf. 

This new colony, within a single league of Herrnhut, was 
the occasion of additional uneasiness at the court of Vienna, 
and it was feared that the territories of the Count and his 
aunt, being so near to each other, would form a refuge 
for fanatics of every description, and a centre of Protestant 
influence in the states of the emperor. The Count was, of 
course, suspected of having to do with the movement. 

The imperial ambassador at the court of Saxony com- 
plained to the Government of Dresden, and demanded that 
all emigrants belonging to the Austrian states should be 
given up. Although such a demand as this could not 
be complied with, it was determined that the matter be 
thoroughly sifted, with a view to meet the ends of justice ; 
and a commission of inquiry was opened at Herrnhut. 
Two points were to form the subject of investigation : — 

1. How had the Count acted in reference to emigrants ? 
Had he endeavoured to draw them from the states of the 
emperor ? 

2. What doctrines were believed; and what was the 



154 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



standard of moral conduct at Herrnhut? What had 
given rise to so many evil reports respecting it ? 

The com mission of inquiry met at Herrnhut in the 
month of January 1732, and drew together a vast num- 
ber of curious persons, some of whom came long distances, 
in the hope of witnessing Zinzendorf 's condemnation. On 
the first head he had no difficulty in clearing himself. 
His own statements, supported by those of the emigrants 
in the examination to which every one of them was sub- 
jected, proved that he had never, in any way, fostered the 
tendency to emigrate ; and that all who had taken refuge 
in his dominions, without a single exception, came of 
themselves, out of attachment to a persecuted faith. 

The second question was more difficult to settle. Zin- 
zendorf, however, concealed nothing, but laid open the 
whole organisation of Herrnhut, even down to the minu- 
test details, for the inspection of the commissioners. He 
invited them to all the meetings, both of the community 
at large and of the different choirs, and expressed his wish 
that when they were present everything should go on in 
the usual way, without the slightest alteration. 

After a close examination which lasted four days, the 
commissioners withdrew, " convinced, touched, and full of 
affection for Herrnhut/' as Zinzendorf himself states. The 
Count wrote to the King of Saxony, as well as to the 
Minister, and concluded the second of these letters by 
saying that, if the Government found the least inconve- 
nience arising from the settlements under his protection, 
or thought that any advantage would accrue from the 
removal of the Moravians, it had nothing to do but to 



DEALINGS WITH EMIGRANTS. 



155 



let him know, and he would be ready to dismiss them 
from his territories in such a way as to save the court any 
blame on the score of persecution. 

The favourable report presented by the commissioners 
at once put to silence Zinzendorf's enemies. But the 
Government abstained from pronouncing any opinion, and 
simply issued a decree forbidding any one, from that time, 
to receive into Saxony any emigrant from the hereditary 
states of the house of Austria. 

No sooner had this peril passed, than the Count was 
compromised by another occurrence, of which his aunt at 
Hennersdorf was the indirect cause. 

The Bohemians established in her domain had not found 
such a happy resting-place as the Moravians at Herrnhut. 
Though she was a woman of great piety, she had not the 
liberal spirit of the Count. She forbade the settlers under 
her protection to cross the frontier of the country, and she 
would not allow them to have numerous meetings among 
themselves, or to explain the Bible when they did meet. 
The Bohemians, incensed at this tyrannic treatment, re- 
fused to do her homage, or to take the oath that she 
required of them. The most turbulent of them were 
consequently arrested, some being put in prison, and 
others banished. But this did not quell the dissatisfac- 
tion, and the whole of the Bohemians moved off in a body 
to Herrnhut. There was no room to receive them, and 
most of them had to take up their abode in the street. 

If the Count had been guided by motives of policy, he 
would have refused to shelter them, for he could easily 
have foreseen that they would be a fruitful source of 



156 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



trouble, and that the tongue of censure would not be 
likely to spare him from reproach. But pity silenced all 
prudential considerations. Many of them were sick, all 
were poor, and they were so ignorant of the language of 
the country, that they could scarcely make themselves 
understood. Zinzendorf, therefore, gave them every assist- 
ance in his power. 

But as his aunt, to whom he immediately wrote for an 
explanation, declared that she would not renounce the 
right that she had over them, Zinzendorf gave them 
official notice that he could not permit them to settle at 
Herrnhut. He tried to persuade them to act on the 
advice given by the angel to Hagar : Return to thy mis- 
tress, and submit thyself to her hands. (Gen. xvi. 9.) But 
the Bohemians would not take this advice ; and they set 
out, in the month of October 1732, in search of another 
place of safety. Liberda, their pastor, was imprisoned, and 
they wandered about in a state of misery and destitution. 
Their steps were tracked by the Saxon police, and they 
were not allowed to approach the Prussian frontier. It 
was feared that the presence of such large numbers of 
people roaming over the country might lead to social 
disorder, if not to scarcity of food. It happened, too, by 
a fatal coincidence, that this took place at the same season 
of the year as the emigration of the Protestants from Salz- 
burg.* The Government was alarmed, and an attempt 

* The persecutions carried on by the Archbishop of Salzburg against 
the Protestants of his states, drove thirty thousand of them to emigrate, 
— some to various parts of Germany, and others to England, Holland, 
Sweden, Russia, and America. 



DEALINGS WITH EMIGRANTS. 



157 



was made to impute all the blame to Zinzendorf, although, 
in fact, he had nothing whatever to do with the matter. 
He learned, on good authority, that preparations were 
being made to arrest him and to throw him into prison 
at Koenigstein. But in consequence of the advice of some 
individuals, who thought that this would be going too far, 
the Government adopted a milder, though not less arbi- 
trary course, and on the 27th of November 1732, Zin- 
zendorf received a royal order to sell his estates ; and he 
was given to understand that he must quit the country as 
soon as possible, before his arrest was decreed. 

It was a remarkable fact that he had voluntarily dis- 
posed of his property ten years before this injunction was 
issued, having transferred the whole of it to his wife, by 
a contract of sale, at the time of his marriage, — so that 
it only remained for him to give the Countess actual pos- 
session of what legally belonged to her, and to invest her 
with full authority. The Government did not object to 
this arrangement, provided that Zinzendorf withdrew ; but 
he was plainly told that this was an indispensable con- 
dition. 

" From this time," says Spangenberg, " the Count re- 
solved never to possess anything as his own. He had 
many opportunities, in after days, of acquiring property 
and lordly dominion, but he regarded it as a privilege to 
be merely a pilgrim on earth/' 

"lam naturally one of those," said Zinzendorf himself, 
" who are never happier anywhere than at home, who like 
to have their little establishment around them, and can 
always find plenty to do there to pass their time well. It 



158 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



has not pleased the Lord to order matters thus ; but I 
have learnt by experience that there is happiness in being 
at home everywhere, as He was who passed most of His 
life as a pilgrim and in exile." 

No one could predict where the persecution would end. 
Gloomy tidings poured in upon Herrnhut from all sides ; 
and it was said that the Government had resolved to break 
up the community. The Brethren quietly waited to see 
what the Lord would do ; and while Zinzendorf was pre- 
paring to depart, everything went on as usual. The mis- 
sionaries sailed for Greenland ; and the General Assembly, 
in order to preserve the Count's full connexion with the 
Church during his absence, re-elected him to the office of 
president, which he had resigned in 1730. 

On the 26th of January 1733, Zinzendorf bade farewell 
to his friends at Herrnhut, and went into banishment, ac- 
companied by three of the Brethren. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



EXAMINATION IN THEOLOGY. 

A few days after the departure of Zinzendorf , an event 
occurred which had a favourable influence on his position. 
Augustus II., Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, died 
at Varsovia on the 1st of February 1733. 

The Count was at Ebersdorf when the news arrived, but 
he did not alter any of his plans. He had resolved on a 
journey to Tubingen, with a view to lay before the profes- 
sors of theology in that city an account of the faith and 
constitution of the community at Herrnhut, and to ascer- 
tain their opinion as to whether it could retain its discipline 
and continue in connexion with the evangelical Church. 
The authentic approval of such an influential authority as 
the University of Tubingen could not but be of high value 
to the Brethren, for they were constantly charged with the 
profession of doctrines opposed to pure Lutheranism, and 
this was used as a pretext for their condemnation. 

The Count had no sooner reached Tubingen than he was 
taken ill. He had long suffered from a painful disease of 
the eyes, which had been aggravated by incessant exertion 
and long midnight watches ; and he was now attacked by 
a fever which obliged him to keep his bed. But this did 
not prevent him from prosecuting the object he had at 



160 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



heart, He asked the professors to meet in his sick-room, 
and summoning the little strength he possessed, he laid 
his case fully before them. 

As soon as his health permitted, Zinzendorf undertook 
a work of evangelisation in Tubingen, Stuttgart, and the 
neighbouring places. He was welcomed wherever he went, 
and his words were blessed to many souls. The most dis- 
tinguished men in Wirtemberg, among whom was the 
pious and learned Bengel, received him with marks of 
esteem and affection, which humbled him. " In Lusatia," 
he wrote to the Countess, " I had to bear reproach and 
persecution ; but the high esteem in which I am held here 
torments me a thousand times more : it is a punishment 
to me." 

In preaching, Zinzendorf pursued Ins invariable plan. 
He concentrated all his efforts on two objects: — 1. To 
awaken the unconverted and gain them for Christ. 2. To 
establish union and fraternal communion anions; believers. 
" But what is the best means/' he was asked one day at 
Tubingen, " of securing this communion among believers ?" 
" Ah ! * he replied, "it is difficult to say, but it is easy to 
do." And when surprise was expressed at this answer, he 
added, " We have only to be as zealous in the cause of 
Jesus as the children of this world are in their affairs, and 
the communion of saints will soon be realised." 

While Zinzendorf was thus engaged, the doctors at 
Tubingen gave a careful consideration to the question he 
had submitted to them, and unanimously agreed on an 
affirmative answer. They were quite aware, they said to 
Zinzendorf, that their verdict would be looked at in an 



EXAMINATION IN THEOLOGY. 



161 



unfavourable light, but they felt that they must risk every- 
thing for the cause of God. Accordingly, on the 19th of 
April, they drew up their decision in due form. "And 
thus," says Schrautenbach, "the constitution of the new 
Church of the Brethren, which had been confirmed at 
Herrnhut, by the judgment of God, on the 7th of January 
1731,* was also confirmed, by the judgment of men, at 
Tubingen on the 19th of April 1733." 

Zinzendorf quitted Tubingen delighted at his success, 
and repaired to Ebersdorf. There he learnt that the new 
Elector of Saxony was better disposed towards Herrnhut 
than Augustus II. had been. One of the first acts of his 
reign was to grant to Moravian emigrants the privilege 
of free settlements in his states ; and a short time after, 
he sent the Count his formal permission to return to 
Herrnhut. 

The followers of Schwenkfeld, who had hitherto been 
sheltered in the kingdom, not being included in the above 
provision, were ordered to leave the country forthwith, and 
Zinzendorf exerted himself for their assistance. As Eng- 
land was just then colonising Georgia, he obtained leave * 
from the English Government for them to settle in that 
province. But, at the moment of their departure, they 
changed their plan, and fixed on Pennsylvania as their * 
future home. 

The Moravians looked upon this circumstance as a pro- 
vidential intimation that they should colonise Georgia 
themselves, as it offered an opportunity for preaching the 
gospel to the American Indians. Ten of the Brethren 

* This was the date of the decision by lot referred to at p. 141. 

L 



162 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



undertook the mission, headed by Spangenberg, and they 
were soon followed by twenty-six others. 

The happy issue of Zinzendorf's journey into Suabia, 
and his unexpected return to Herrnhut, greatly en- 
couraged the Brethren there, and helped to quicken their 
activity. 

It was at this time that the mission to the island of St 
Croix was commenced ; and the circumstances connected 
with its origin may be mentioned as showing how decided 
Zinzendorf was in adhering to the one object of evangelism. 
One of the high officials at the Danish court, named Yon 
Pless, having established plantations in St Croix, proposed 
to send out twelve Moravian Brethren, in the twofold 
capacity of superintendents over the negroes in their work, 
and preachers of the gospel, thinking that the two offices 
might be advantageously united in the same persons. 
The Count, however, protested against any such associa- 
tion of the cause of Christ with worldly interests ; and 
although he felt it his duty to yield to the strong opinions 
expressed by others in favour of it, "rather than incur 
something worse," as he says in his Reflections Naturelles* 
he would not give his consent till the fullest liberty of con- 
science had been guaranteed not only to the missionaries 
but to the negroes. 

Although the busy occupations of the past two years 
had prevented the Count from taking any further steps 

* The most interesting and original of all the Count's works, written in 
twelve parts between the years 1746 and 1749, and afterwards published in 
a single volume, in explanation of his own views on various subjects, and 
of his reasons for the course of action he pursued. 



EXAMINATION IN THEOLOGY. 



163 



in reference to the vocation of the ministry, an unforeseen 
occurrence now opened the way for the realisation of his 
long-cherished desire. 

A pious merchant at Stralsuncl, named Kichter, of whom 
he had no personal knowledge, wrote to him, saying that 
he was anxious to find a suitable tutor for his family, and 
asking Zinzendorf if he could send him one. Zinzendorf 
at once determined to go himself, as he thought he would 
thus have an opportunity of presenting himself incognito 
before Langemak and Sibeth, two eminent theologians, who 
resided in that city, and passing an examination, which 
would entitle him to a certificate of orthodoxy, as the first 
step to ecclesiastical orders. 

Having informed Kichter that he might expect a tutor 
to arrive in a short time, he set out on the 17th of March 
1734, and, on reaching Stralsund, presented himself to his 
future employer, under the name of Louis von Freydeck* 
and immediately commenced his duties. 

The day after his arrival he called on Langemak, the 
superintendent, and, without making known who he was, 
told him of his wish to be examined in theology. A few 
days afterwards, he was requested to preach. Keferring to 
one of his conversations with Langemak, Zinzendorf says : 
" We talked in a free and friendly manner on various sub- 
jects ; and mention being being made of Langemak's works, 
he showed me a catechism he had composed, and the plan 
of a work he had on hand, in refutation of Count Zinzen- 
dorf and the Herrnhuttites. I asked him whether he had 
read the writings of these people, and he replied that he 
* His real name, see p. 7. 



164 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



had not, but he had derived his knowledge of their senti- 
ments from the pamphlet by Dr Weidner of Kostock.* I 
then told him what I knew about the matter, and urged 
him to read the writings of the Count, which he promised 
to do." 

On the 11th of April, Zinzendorf preached as a candidate 
in theology. This was the first time he had appeared in 
the pulpit of a church, and it formed the first step in his 
new career. He was subsequently examined by the two 
divines above mentioned, who spent three whole days in 
questioning him, sometimes in Latin, and sometimes in 
German, on all the chief doctrines of Christianity. After 
this ordeal, he had to deliver four more sermons, one of 
i which drew tears from the eyes of the venerable Langemak, 
and then a certificate of orthodoxy was given him, accom- 
panied by a full account of the examination he had under- 
gone. The certificate referred to certain points on which 
the Count differed from the views received in the Lutheran 
Church, — as, for example, in regard to marriage, and to 
the ceremony of washing the feet, which he regarded as 
having a sacramental character ; but it stated that these 
were non-essential points, on which differences of opinion 
might be entertained without the implication of heterodoxy. 

Zinzendorf quitted Stralsund after a stay of five weeks. 
He left his sword with Langemak, and never wore it again. 
The inhabitants of the place, who had been deeply im- 
pressed by the preaching of this remarkable man, did not 
know who it was that had struck such deep chords in their 
hearts, till after he was gone. But Kichter soon followed 
* See p. 140. 



EXAMINATION IN THEOLOGY. 



165 



him to Herrnhut, and eventually became a missionary 
among the poor slaves of Algeria. 

The kingdom of Wurtemberg offered a way for a noble- 
man to take orders in the Church, without divesting himself 
of his previous rank, by obtaining a nomination to one 
of the benefices which had passed from the Komish hier- 
archy to the hands of the Lutheran Church. There were 
certain old abbeys coming under this denomination, the 
holders of which bore the title of prelates, and thus com- 
bined the secular and the spiritual dignities. Zinzendorf, 
with a view to conciliate public prejudice, applied to the 
Duke of Wurtemberg for one of these which was then in 
ruins, and offered to restore the building, at his own ex- 
pense, for the purpose of a theological seminary. 

His request was refused ; and this scheme, like his pro- 
ject of a new university in Denmark, fell to the ground. 

Zinzendorf now had recourse to the Faculty of Theology 
at Tubingen, and at last obtained the requisite authorisation 
to act as assistant-pastor at Herrnhut, whither he returned 
in that capacity. 



CHAPTEK XV. 

TRAVELS IN DENMARK, HOLLAND, AND PRUSSIA. 

Though the first fruits of evangelistic effort at St Thomas 
had already been gathered" in, the faith of those who were 
connected with that mission was severely tried. A few 
months after Zinzendorf 's return to Herrnhut, the melan- 
choly tidings arrived, that of the eighteen who went forth 
to that distant field of labour, ten had sunk under the per- 
nicious influences of the climate, added to a terrible series 
of privations. A general discouragement resulted, and the 
missionary zeal of the community seemed almost paralysed. 
Complaints were made against Zinzendorf ; and although 
he had never been very favourable to the undertaking, he 
was charged with the responsibility of all that had hap- 
pened. His faith,, however, did not fail ; and his poetical 
compositions at this time not only rallied the courage of the 
Brethren around him, but evoked a more earnest missionary 
enthusiasm than before. 

Up to this time all the missionaries sent out from Herrn- 
hut had been laymen ; and hence the rites of baptism and the 
holy communion had not been observed among the converts 
abroad. It now became a question whether these rites 
should still be withheld, or whether laymen should be 
authorised to administer them. The former alternative 



f 

/ 

TRAVELS IN DENMARK, HOLLAND, AND PRUSSIA. 167 

appeared to Zinzendorf contrary to the express commands 
of Christ ; and there were serious objections to the latter, 
especially as it might give offence to the local authorities, 
and thus endanger the very existence of the mission. 

It was, therefore, thought desirable that future mission- 
aries should receive consecration before entering on their 
work. But it was not likely that any Lutheran consistory 
would lend its sanction to this, because the Moravian 
missionaries were generally mechanics, or persons of very 
little education, and it was not customary to lay hands on 
any candidate till he had been presented to a parish in 
which his ministry was to be exercised. 

Hence the only solution of the difficulty seemed to He in 
another direction. The ancient Moravian Brethren had 
their bishops, who used to perform the office of consecration 
by imposition of hands ; and might not a bishopric be estab- 
lished at Herrnhut ? 

The proposal having been approved by the Brethren, 
and submitted to the test of the lot, Zinzendorf wrote to 
Jablonski, the oldest bishop of the Moravian Church, and 
asked him to confer the episcopal office on David Nitsch- 
mann, the carpenter, who had been elected for that purpose. 
After examining Nitschmann in regard to his faith and his 
religious experience, and obtaining the consent of Sitkovius, 
the Moravian bishop of Poland, Jablonski acceded, and or- 
dained the carpenter as bishop of the communities of the 
Brethren in foreign lands. 

Although this measure removed some difficulties, it gave 
rise to others. A question arose as to the future relation 
of Herrnhut to the parish of Berthelsdorf, and to the 



168 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Lutheran Church generally ; and although Zinzendorf ex- 
pressly stated that the existing relationships would stand 
unchanged, many of his own friends strongly objected to 
the course that had been taken. 

This was especially the case at the court of Denmark ; 
and such was the suspicion cast upon him there, that 
though he went to Copenhagen with David Kitschmann 
on purpose to explain matters to King Christian VI. , he 
was not allowed an audience ; and when contrary winds, 
which overtook him on his homeward passage, cast hini on 
the shores of Sweden, an interdict was immediately pub- 
lished against him, forbidding him to remain on Swedish 
ground. It so happened that he had quitted that country 
before this harsh measure of the Government came to his 
knowledge ; but he immediately drew up an explanatory 
document addressed to the King of Sweden, and to several 
of the German princes, the object of which was to show 
that the Moravian doctrines were in harmony with the 
Augsburg Confession. 

On the 1st of January 1736, Zinzendorf wrote to the 
King of Denmark, requesting that, if his majesty did not 
approve of his consecration to the holy ministry, he would 
permit him to resign the order of the Danebrog. King 
Christian, instead of accepting his resignation, deprived 
him of his honours by royal decree, and commanded him 
to return his insignia to the Danish secretary of state. 
Zinzendorf refused to do this, but forwarded them to the 
King himself, accompanied by a dignified letter, expressing 
his sorrow to find a prince of such good intentions as Chris- 
tian VI. acting in a spirit of contempt to a servant of God, 



TEAVELS IN DENMAEK, HOLLAND, AND PEUSSIA. 169 

who was simply seeking to do God's will ; and he concluded 
by saying that he regarded the occurrence as a voice from 
above warning him not to trust in the protection of princes. 

The opposition made in some quarters to Zinzendorf s 
teaching had led him, a short time before his consecration, 
to submit his religious principles to a thorough examination 
in the light of Holy Scripture : with this view he called in 
the assistance of his friends Eothe and Spangenberg, and 
two other divines then living at Herrnhut, with whom he 
commenced what he called " Biblical conferences," or con- 
versations on certain portions of the Scriptures in the 
original. One of the results of these meetings was a 
translation of the First Epistle of St Paul to Timothy, which 
the Count published during that year, (1734,) and other 
fragmentary versions and paraphrases. He had long wished 
to give the German churches a more exact and modern 
version than Luther's, and this formed one of the objects 
contemplated in the conferences ; but Spangenberg tells us 
that when the four translators compared their renderings 
with those of the Keformer, they came to the unanimous 
conclusion that, on the whole, the latter maintained its 
superiority. 

This close investigation of the Scriptures led Zinzendorf 
to see more clearly than he had done before the essential 
character of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, and its central 
position in the system of Christian truth; and from that 
time forward the theology of blood, as Zinzendorf termed 
it, became the all-inspiring theme at Herrnhut and in the 
Moravian churches at large. 

While the rest of the Brethren were specially occupied 



170 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



with foreign missions, Zinzendorf devoted himself to evan- 
gelisation on the Continent ; and Spangenberg gives an in- 
teresting account of a journey that he took on foot about 
the end of the year 1735. On this occasion he was quite 
alone, and seems to have enjoyed the opportunity for free 
and undisturbed communion with J esus. He had a par- 
ticularly noble bearing, and generally paced along with his 
head aloft, quite unconscious of what lay in his path ; then 
sometimes, as if suddenly bethinking himself, he would 
quicken his steps, and keep his eyes fixed on the ground. 
But it was no uncommon thing for him to get a severe 
wound by running against the loose blocks of stone that 
intercepted the way. What made him still more unfor- 
tunate was that he had a habit of giving to every beggar 
that accosted him, as long as his money lasted ; and more 
than once he was driven to fearful extremities by finding 
himself penniless. In one instance, he entered a wayside 
inn in a very exhausted state, and happening to betray 
that his purse was almost empty, though he himself was 
not aware of it before, he was sent away hungry as he 
came ; and at another time he was saved from starvation 
by a peasant, who entertained him in his cottage, and lent 
him a sufficient sum to carry him to Berlin. 

These solitary expeditions, however, were followed by a 
series of missionary tours of a different kind, in which he 
was accompanied by the Countess, their eldest daughter, 
and a numerous suite from Herrnhut. Such was the ex- 
citement produced, especially in Holland, partly by his 
preaching and partly by the imposing establishment that 
kept moving with him from place to place, that some of 



TKAVELS IN DENMAKK, HOLLAND, AND PRUSSIA. 171 

the Lutheran preachers denounced him from the pulpit as 
a disguised political agitator in the cause of the Prince of 
Orange. But their opposition was of trifling importance 
compared with the sequel. He had just left that country, 
after arranging for the foundation of a Dutch Moravian 
colony, in accordance with the wishes of the Dowager 
Princess of Orange, when he found letters awaiting him at 
Cassel, from which it appeared that the King of Saxony 
had issued a rescript forbidding him to enter the kingdom ; 
and a little further on, he met David Mtschmann coming 
to tell him that another rescript had been sent forth com- 
missioning a second inquiry into the affairs of Herrnhut, 
the object of which evidently was the destruction of the 
whole Moravian community. Zinzendorf having strictly 
observed the injunction laid upon him after his former 
banishment, not to receive any new immigrants at Herrnhut, 
arid nothing having occurred there to account for the King's 
displeasure, it was evident that some enemies had been at 
work; and the course now taken by the Government convinced 
Zinzendorf that the dreaded catastrophe was not far off. 

Under these circumstances, it might have been expected 
that Zinzendorf would have sent his friends at Herrnhut 
some instructions as to how they should act in his absence, 
when the Koyal Commissioners made their appearance. 
But he abstained from everything of the kind. He be- 
lieved that the Saviour's promise, Matthew x. 18-20,* 

" And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for 
a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you 
up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be given you 
in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but 
the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." 



172 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



applied to this case, and that it was his duty to leave the 
cause entirely in the hands of God. And his faith was 
rewarded. While the world was waiting to hear the 
sentence of condemnation pronounced on the whole com- 
munity, the new commission, having brought its in- 
quiries to a close, delivered a unanimously favourable 
judgment ; and although the Government kept the inha- 
bitants of Herrnhut in a cruel suspense of fifteen months, 
a decree at last came forth guaranteeing the preservation 
of their institutions, " so long as they adhered to the 
Augsburg Confession/' 

The banishment of the Count, which remained in force, 
was the means of giving a more decided and permanent 
form to his evangelistic operations. He interpreted it 
as a fresh call from God to missionary labour ; and he 
soon became surrounded by a kind of pilgrim company, 
partly consisting of his own family, and partly of others who 
were interested in his movements and wished to make 
common cause with him in his work. The Count was 
responsible for all the expenses connected with this ambu- 
lant society, the Countess managing its temporal affairs 
with extraordinary tact, and making the most of her hus- 
band's resources. Those who had means of their own pro- 
vided themselves with clothes and other necessaries ; and 
the rest were assisted as their cases required. In this way 
Zinzendorf and his suite proceeded from place to place, 
scattering the good seed of the Word as they went, till a 
resting-place was offered them in the old decaying castle of 
Konneburg, near Frankfort. 

After a few weeks of labour among the poor cottagers 



TEAVELS IN DENMAEK, HOLLAND, AND PEUSSIA. 173 

around this miserable habitation, Zinzendorf left the 
Countess in charge of their household, and undertook a 
journey which brought him into personal contact with the 
King of Prussia. On his way homeward from Riga, he 
wrote to Frederick- William I. , asking permission to make 
some efforts for the spiritual good of some emigrants from 
Salzburg, who had found a refuge in the Prussian States. 
Frederick- William, though little inclined to favour any 
kind of innovation, especially in matters of religion, had 
heard so much about Zinzendorf, that he was curious to 
see him ; and on Zinzendorf s arrival in Berlin, he found 
an autograph letter from the King, inviting him to the 
Castle of Wusterhausen, where the court was then as- 
sembled. 

Frederick- William soon found that his visitor was not at 
all the man he had expected to see. He kept him at the 
Castle three days. The first day the King s manner was 
cold and distant, though he questioned Zinzendorf closely ; 
the second day he talked more freely to him ; and before 
the third was over he told the Queen and the court 
that what had been said about Zinzendorf was utterly false. 
" The devil," he exclaimed, " could not have invented a 
more daring lie than what I have heard about this man ! 
He is no heretic or disturber. His only crime is, that he 
has resigned the honours of nobility for the service of the 
gospel." 

In the course of these interviews with the King, Zinzen- 
dorf had requested him to appoint some competent ecclesi- 
astical Prussian authority to examine his doctrinal views, 
and to report on the question of their orthodoxy ; for 



THE BANISHED C0T7XT. 



although they had been endorsed by the Faculty at Tubin- 
gen, this did not invest them with any formal authorisation 
elsewhere, the churches of the various German States being 
virtually independent. Hence it was that, after being exa- 
mined in Wurtemberg, the Count submitted his theology 
to a similar test at Stralsmid. winch then belonged to 
Sweden, and was anxious to do the same in Saxony and in 
Prussia. 

Frederick- William readily assented to Zinzendorf 's wish, 
and wrote as follows to Jablonski : — 

" I have now seen Count Zinzendorf myself ; I have con- 
versed with him, and find him to be a thoroughly honest 
and sensible man. who simply aims to propagate true 
Christianity, and the wholesome doctrine of the Word of 
God. 

" I therefore wish that when you see him in Berlin you 
would examine with him the matters that he has to lay 
before you, and make your report thereupon to ine/' 

The King gave like instructions to two Lutheran divines 
in the Prussian capital ; and Zinzendorf having placed all 
necessary materials in the hands of his judges, repaired to 
Frankfort, whither the Countess had found it necessary to 
remove on accoimt of the opposition she encountered at 
Eonneburg. 

While fanning the flame of religious zeal which had been 
recently kindled among all parties in Frankfort, he did his 
utmost to check the spirit of disunion that he discovered 
among the representatives of the Protestant faith. The 
leaders of the revival were then agitating the question of 
separation from the Established Church, on accoimt of lack 



TEAVELS IN DENMARK, HOLLAND, AND PRUSSIA. 175 

of spiritual life and evangelical doctrine, and they consulted 
Zinzendorf as to the course they should pursue. Zinzen- 
dorf s answer was characteristic : — 

" Since you are Lutherans, as your letter states, remain 
Lutherans ; for your King was a Jew, and he remained a 
Jew. Do not be frightened because there are bad doctors 
in the Church. In the time of Christ, some of them were 
hypocrites, some were orthodox, some lived as hermits, 
some were Pietists, and there were even mockers and un- 
believers, who said that there was neither spirit nor resur- 
rection, (for the Scriptures expressly state this in reference 
to a party of Jewish priests.) But in spite of all this, 
Jesus never separated." 

The grounds on which this advice was founded may be 
gathered more fully from a letter that he wrote long before 
this period. 

" From my earliest childhood," the Count remarks in 
that letter, " I have had but one end in view, namely, to 
glorify Christ crucified, and that literally, without entering 
into the discussions raised by different religions.* I know 
no foundation but Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God ; 
but I can get on very well with all who build on this foun- 
dation, whatever difference there may be in their way of 
building. When there was a proposal to unite the three 
principal religions, I worked for it, and the prelates of 
France did not disapprove of my views. When an attempt 
was made between the two Protestant religions to join 
hands, I did not stand aloof. But I have learnt that the 

* Zinzendorf often uses the term " religion " in the sense of confession, 
or religious communion. 



176 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



kingdom of God is within us. I was born in the Church 
called evangelical. I find its doctrines passable ; and as to 
its practice, it does not appear to rne that any other visible 
Church is much before it. Hence I remain where I am. 
While continuing in this religion, I testify against its de- 
fects ; but in regard to other religions I do not pursue that 
course. I endeavour to accommodate myself to them as 
much as my conscience allows." 

The following incident, however, shows that Zinzendorf s 
forbearance was not without limits. 

There was a noted man of the name of Andrew Goss 
among the Separatists at Frankfort, who had lost some of 
his followers through Zinzendorf s preaching ; and who, 
having first gratified his revenge by an attack on the Count 
himself, sought to unsettle the converts, and to destroy the 
peace of mind that they were enjoying. In regard to the 
personal injury, Zinzendorf merely expostulated with the 
offender in a fraternal spirit. But when he saw the spiri- 
tual happiness of others endangered, he lost his usual 
moderation, and hurled an anathema at the author of the 
mischief. He declared that if this man should cause the 
fall of one of those whom the Lord had brought into a 
state of grace by his ministry, he would certainly die in the 
course of that year. 

However we may explain an act which presented such 
a striking contrast to Zinzendorf s ordinary deportment — 
whether it may be looked upon as a burst of holy indig- 
nation inspired by the Spirit of God, or as one of those 
occurrences which serve to remind us of the imperfection 
and weakness attaching to the best of men — it is certain 



TRAVELS IN DENMARK, HOLLAND, AND PRUSSIA. 177 



that the threat alarmed and restrained Goss. But while 
Zinzendorf afterwards blamed himself for the hatred he 
had displayed towards the spirit of fanaticism, there were 
plenty of opponents to take advantage of the circumstance, 
who accused him of affecting the right to use the power of 
God in support of his own cause ; and said that the rash 
words he had uttered were strangely at variance with the 
spirit of Christ. In reply to a formal indictment drawn 
up by Gross, Zinzendorf made the following candid ex- 
planation. 

"It is true," he said, " that the Lord Jesus did not call 
down fire from heaven on those who refused to receive Him, 
and on this point we have nothing to answer for. But it 
is not true that He was as indifferent as Mr Goss repre- 
sents Him, in regard to those who seduced souls. ' Who- 
ever/ He says, ' shall offend one of these little ones that 
believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were 
hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.' * 
St Paul, too, who knew what it was to be gentle as a nurse, 
said, ' I would they were even cut off which trouble you/ f 
And again, speaking of Hynienseus and Alexander, he says 
that he has ' delivered them to Satan, that they may learn 
not to blaspheme/ " % * 

" I have to thank the Saviour," he continues, " for three 
things, among others, that He has graciously granted me 
in the exercise of my ministry ; and I can speak of them 
all the more freely, because there are always people enough 
to contradict me if I exaggerate. The first is, that in ad- 
mitting new members to our little community, so far from 

* Mark ix. 42. f Gal. v. 12. X 1 Tim. i. 20. 

M 



178 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



having been hasty, I have always been very timid and scru- 
pulous. The second is, that I find it absolutely impossible 
to hate any one that I know hates me. I cannot answer 
for my feelings to-morrow ; but I can say what they have 
been up to the present time. The third thing is, that when 
I see souls that really possess grace, or that are in the true 
way to it, turned aside or injured, then my spirit groans 
within me, and in such cases I cannot answer for what I 
may say to the Lord about those who have occasioned the 
evil ; I may even have it in my mind to ask their excom- 
munication. But then I give the guilty persons notice, 
and before presenting the case to the Saviour, I tell them 
plainly what I intend to do, that they may have time to 
reflect. ... It would be useless for me to make myself 
out better in this respect than I am, for every one knows 
my mode of action, and I am not at all disposed to change 
it." 

Before Zinzendorf left Frankfort, he invited the elders of 
Herrnhut and a number of Brethren who were working for 
G-od in various directions, to meet for conference. The 
assembly took place in a manorial residence at Marienborn, 
near Frankfort, belonging to one of Zinzendorf s relatives, 
and it constituted the first synod of the new Church of the 
' Brethren. Soon after this he set out for Amsterdam, in- 
tending to make that the starting-point for England. 



CHAPTER XVI 



ZINZENDORF IN ENGLAND. 

The Count had no sooner touched the shores of Great 
Britain than the "Association for the Instruction of the 
Negroes in the British Plantations" sought his aid in 
procuring the sanction of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 
The prelate readily yielded to this request, saying that 
the personal acquaintance he had now formed with Count 
Zinzendorf had greatly strengthened the favourable opi- 
nion he had long entertained of the Moravian commu- 
nities. 

Zinzendorf did not preach in England, but opened his 
family worship to visitors who chose to attend, and thus 
laid the foundation of the future Moravian Church in this 
country. But it was remarkable that, before he planted his 
foot on British soil, the influence of the body with which 
he was identified was already impressing itself upon the 
religious experience of the men who soon became the prime 
movers in the great spiritual awakening of the eighteenth 
century. About fifteen months before Zinzendorf s arrival 
in England, John and Charles Wesley had been in Georgia, 
seeking to convert the heathen of that land. In referring 
to this missionary journey, John Wesley afterwards said: — 
"It is now two years and almost four months since I left 



180 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



my native country, in order to teach the Georgian Indians 
the nature of Christianity. But what have I learned my- 
self in the meantime ! Why, (what I least of all sus- 
pected,) that I, who went to America to convert others, 
was never myself converted to God."* The ship that bore 
John Wesley happened to be the very one in which the 
missionary colonists from Herrnhut had embarked. 

In the course of the voyage they encountered a storm, to 
which he refers as follows : — 

" At four o'clock in the afternoon, the storm redoubled 
its violence. ... At seven I went to the Germans. I had 
long before observed the great seriousness of their behaviour. 
Of their humility they had given a continual proof, by per- 
forming those servile offices for the other passengers which 
none of the English would undertake ; for which they de- 
sired and would receive no pay, saying, ' it was good for 
their proud hearts,' and ' their loving Saviour had done 
more for them-/ and every day had given occasion of 
showing a meekness which no injury could remove. 

" If they were pushed, struck, or thrown down, they rose 
again, and went away ; but no complaint was found in their 
mouth. There was now an opportunity of trying whether 
they were delivered from the spirit of fear, as well as from 
that of pride, anger, and revenge. In the midst of the 
psalm wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, 
split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured 
in between the decks, as if the great deep had already 
swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the 
English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of 
* J ournal of John Wesley, vol. i. p. 75. 



ZINZENDOKF IN ENGLAND. 



181 



them afterwards, 'Were you not afraid?' He answered, 
' I thank God, no.' I asked, ' But were not your women 
and children afraid ? ' He replied mildly, ' ~No, our women 
and children are not afraid to die.'"* 

In Georgia John Wesley became acquainted with Span- 
genberg ; and Charles, who returned to Europe first, saw 
Zinzendorf several times during his stay in London. The 
result was a deep conviction on the part of both the bro- 
thers that they wanted power to render their ministry 
effective. Another instrument, however, was chosen of 
God to lead the Wesleys into the full light of the gospel. 

A young Moravian minister of the name of Peter 
Bohler, who was on a visit to England previous to his 
departure for the missionary work in Georgia, was the 
• Ananias who caused the scales to fall from the eyes of 
these modern apostles. Like Luther, he made the Scrip- 
tures his court of appeal, and after many earnest conver- 
sations, in which he met their philosophic difficulties 
with the simple Word of God, he had the joy of seeing 
them fully embrace the vital doctrine of justification by 
faith. 

Thus a close relationship was originated between the 
Wesleys and the Moravians, and they held their weekly 
religious meetings unitedly, till they became separated by 
1 doctrinal differences, John Wesley considering that some 
of the views held by Zinzendorf and his friends bordered 
too closely on Antinomianism, while Zinzendorf objected to 
i Wesley's doctrine of sinless perfection. 

In spite, however, of this divergence in certain minor 

* Journal of John Wesley, vol. i, p. 206. 



182 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



articles of belief, sentiments of esteem and affection con- 
tinued to be cherished on both sides. 

The biographer of Charles Wesley writes as fol- 
lows : — 

"The Wesleyan connexion owes to the Moravian Brethren 
a debt of respect and grateful affection which can never be 
repaid. Mr John and Mr Charles Wesley, with all their 
excellences, were neither holy nor happy till they were 
taught by Peter Bohler that men are saved from sin, its 
guilt, dominion, and misery, by faith in Christ, — a faith 
which is the inspired gift of the Holy Ghost, exercised in 
a penitent state of heart, and immediately followed by the 
inward witness of God's adopting mercy. . . . During the 
last hundred years, this doctrine has ever been the most 
prominent subject of the Methodist ministry, in the United 
Kingdom, on the American continent, and in the wide 
mission-field. The faithful, affectionate, and experimental 
inculcation of this doctrine has unquestionably been, under 
God, the great secret of the power and success of Metho- 
dist preaching. God, in the merciful dispensation of His 
providence, might, indeed, by other means, have given the 
Wesleys a knowledge of this essential element of evangelic 
truth — but He did not. Peter Bohler was the honoured 
instrument, of imparting this benefit to the brothers, and 
consequently to the millions of their spiritual children." * 

Zinzendorf, in a note that he appended to a work pub- 
lished in English by the Moravian Church in 1724, asked 
the Wesleys to forgive him for the judgment he had passed 
on them, observing that, as the Wesleys were not members 
* Jackson's " Life of Charles Wesley," vol. i., p. 282. 



ZINZENDORF IN ENGLAND. 



183 



of the community of the Brethren, the latter had no right 
to judge them. 

Whitefield also, who had, for a considerable time, asso- 
ciated with the Moravians, and asked their assistance in 
regard to his orphan-house in Georgia, withdrew from 
them, and even published a pamphlet against Zinzendorf. 
Zinzendorf was urged to reply, but abstained from doing 
so. " Whitefield," he said, "is a man whose preaching 
may yet do good to a great many people, and I would not 
write a word to detract from the esteem in which he is 
held." 



CHAP TEE XVII. 



EXCITEMENT IN BERLIN. 

On leaving England, Zinzendorf proceeded to Frankfort ; 
but finding that the meetings he had founded had just been 
forbidden by the magistrate at the request of the consistory, 
he hastened to Berlin, where the royal commissioners had 
met to examine his doctrinal views. The report presented 
to the King was entirely satisfactory ; but the examiners 
declined to give any opinion as to whether Zinzendorf's 
request for episcopal consecration should be granted. The 
King, however, on the advice of Jablonski, gave his con- 
sent, and the consecration took place on the 20th of May 
1737, Jablonski and Mtschmann officiating. The King 
of Prussia and the Archbishop of Canterbury testified their 
sympathy by letters of congratulation. 

Although the ceremony had been performed very quietly 
in the house of Jablonski, it made a great sensation in the 
Prussian capital, and reports were spread that the King 
was about to nominate the new bishop as minister of 
public worship. Zinzendorf, however, had no thoughts 
of secular advancement, but cut short all the busy specu- 
lations of the curious by applying for permission to return 
to Saxony. 

His application being supported by Marshal Natzmer, 



EXCITEMENT IN BEELIN. 



185 



his father-in-law, was for the moment successful, and the 
Count soon reappeared among his old friends at Herrnhut. 
But though the electoral government thus yielded to the 
powerful intercession that Zinzendorf had secured, imme- 
diate measures were taken to render the indulgence null 
and void. He was challenged to sign a document binding 
him to a certain course for the future. To this he would 
have had no objection ; but the framers of the bond took 
care to introduce clauses which the Count could not con- 
scientiously sign, because they tended directly to criminate 
himself ; and when he pleaded for modifications, King 
Augustus III. peremptorily refused them, and published 
an edict condemning Zinzendorf to perpetual banish- 
ment. 

Hardly expecting such an arbitrary decision as this, the 
Count had voluntarily withdrawn to the city of Berlin ; 
and while waiting the sentence of his sovereign, had devoted 
himself to the work he loved. A great desire was expressed 
by many around him to be admitted to the daily religious 
services held in his house for the benefit of his own family. 
But wishing to avoid anything that might be objected to 
as a departure from the established order of things, he 
closed his doors against all strangers, until he found that 
not a single pastor in the city would venture to admit him 
to a pulpit. Under these circumstances, he felt that, as 
a minister of Christ, he had no alternative, and his spacious 
rooms became crowded, day after day, by eager auditors of 
every rank and age. The street in which his house stood 
was lined with carriages, and he was obliged to throw open 
an anteroom to admit the constantly increasing numbers, 



186 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



until a large garret at the top of the house came into 
requisition; and eventually the division of the sexes had 
to be adopted, in order to limit the congregations. But 
even then the hearers were compelled to stand, in order to 
economise the space. 

These addresses, which were given every day for four 
months, could hardly be called sermons. They were ex- 
temporary and conversational expositions of four leading 
subjects to which Zinzendorf professed to confine himself. 
1. The essential, sole, and eternal divinity of Him ivho be- 
came man. 2. The essential, real, and complete humanity 
of God who is in heaven. 3. Grace, the only means of sal- 
vation for men, and the pardon of every sin by the merits of 
the sacrificed Lamb. 4. The precious privilege that Jesus 
obtained for us by His blood, namely, deliverance from sin, 
and the power to lead a spiritual life. 

" My preparation/' said Zinzendorf, when speaking of 
these discourses, " is the wretchedness and poverty that I 
feel during the hour before I speak ; this sometimes reaches 
such a point that, when I am going up to the garret, I 
hardly know where I am ; but the moment I begin, I feel 
the coals from the altar. ... I have never before spoken 
with such freedom as I do here. My hearers often shed 
tears, and even .the soldiers weep with the rest. May the 
Saviour make these impressions lasting ! 

" The pastors openly preach against me. There is not a 
single one of them in our favour. The whole city is in 
commotion. The king's courtiers are making every effort 
to ruin us. Some do it without any concealment, and 
others are at work behind the scenes. It is said that 



EXCITEMENT IN BERLIN. 



187 



M. Koloff * has written to the king, asking his aid against 
a man who causes so much disturbance. But the king 
must have told him to let me alone. 

" Before I speak, some one gives out a hymn. After the 
discourse, I generally announce another one appropriate 
to the subject. When I cannot find one, I compose 
one ; I say, in the Saviour's name, what comes into my 
heart. 

" I am, as ever, a poor sinner, a captive of eternal love, 
running by the side of His triumphal chariot, and have no 
desire to be anything else as long as I live." 

With these few touches of his pencil, Zinzendorf has 
drawn a complete picture of himself. He stands before us 
under the mastery of that love which possessed Mm when 
a child, and its kindling influence breathes from his lips 
into the heart of every one that hears him. There, too, is 
the congregation touched by the sacred fire ; and in the 
background are the envious and the curious ; while all 
without is agitation and wonder. 

One of Zinzendorf's constant attendants was a student 
from Jena, named Langguth, afterwards his son-in-law. 
Langguth had come to Berlin in charge of the Count's 
eldest son, now ten years of age, who had been at school in 
J ena. Day after day this young man might be seen trying 
to take down the Count's discourses. His notes were very 
imperfect, and often blotted with tears. But the Count 
decided to have them printed, as he found that incorrect 
reports of these discourses were already in circulation, some 

* One of the clerical commissioners appointed to examine Zinzendorf's 
creed. 



188 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



of which made a variety of alterations in what he had said, 
and others were purely fictitious. 

The Berlin Discourses soon passed through a large num- 
ber of editions, and were translated into several languages ; 
they have had a very large circulation, and are still exten- 
sively read.* It is needless to say that they were little cal- 
culated to please the fastidious theologians of that age. 
Incautious expressions used in the excitement of the mo- 
ment, and peculiar points of view occasionally adopted by 
the Count, were made the subject of grave accusation, and 
efforts were made to drag the king into the controversy. 
His majesty sent for Zinzendorf ; and having heard his ex- 
planation as to the passages complained of, expressed his 
entire satisfaction, and said that he would never hear an- 
other word against him. 

Before the Count left Berlin, he was pressed, by certain 
inhabitants of the city, to form them into a community like 
that of Herrnhut. But he refused to sanction their leaving 
the Church to which they belonged, or to alienate them 
from the spiritual superintendence of their own pastors, 
and only consented to organise a society of Brethren within 
the Lutheran Church, conformably to the constitution and 
customs of that body. 

During his stay in Berlin the Count also presided over a 
synod that he convened for the special purpose of promoting 
missions to the heathen. Fresh missionaries were sent to 
St Thomas, to Ceylon, Surinam, Kio-de-Berbice, and to 
South America. - A journey to the Caucasus and to Mount 
Ararat, where it was supposed that a number of Moravian 
* See Appendix. 



EXCITEMENT IN BERLIN. 



189 



emigrants had settled, was also talked of ; and the. question 
of Jewish missions was discussed. Some time afterwards, 
Leonard Dober spontaneously commenced the work of evan- 
gelisation among the Jews of Amsterdam. 

The views of the Count on the subject of Jewish evan- 
gelisation were not very decided, and he sometimes ques- 
tioned whether the time was come for their conversion. 
But he was quite of opinion that Dober could not fail to be 
made a blessing to them, if he avoided useless argument, 
and contented himself with living among them as a man of 
G-od, preaching Christ to them, and praying for them. 
Zinzendorf was particularly fond of the Jews. He loved 
them for the sake of Christ, who was a Jew ; and whenever 
he met with any of them, he showed them great kindness. 
In the litany that he composed for the Church of the 
Brethren, he made express mention of the people of Israel. 
When the Jewish day of atonement came round, year by 
year, he always asked the community to remember them in 
prayer, and he often made them the subject of discourse. 
A beautiful prayer of his own is on record, which he offered 
on one of these occasions in the year 1738. 



CHAPTEK XYIII. 



WESTWARD TO THE RESCUE. 

Whex the decision of the King of Saxony reached Zinzen- 
dorf , and he found that he was finally exiled from his own 
country, he received the sentence as an indication of the 
Divine will, and at once resolved to carry out a plan that 
had long been in his thoughts. He had often been re- 
proached for the part he had taken in promoting the enter- 
prise of the first missionaries to St Thomas, who had fallen 
victims to the climate of that island, and he now desired 
to prove that he was not afraid to brave the dangers they 
had so nobly encountered. 

In anticipation of a prolonged absence, he hired the 
castle of Marienborn as a residence for his family, and had 
the gratification of seeing a new settlement rise up in that 
neighbourhood, as a rallying point for those Brethren who 
were attached to the confession of the Eeformed Church. 
This colony took the name of HerrnJiaag, and stood to the 
Eeformed Church in the same relation as Herrnhut had 
done to the Lutheran communion. So that while the So- 
ciety of the United Brethren maintained its own indepen- 
dent existence, it embraced the two great divisions of the 
Protestant world. 

The Count and his Countess took leave of one another 



WESTWAED TO THE EESCUE. 



191 



in the autumn of 1728, and after some detention by reason 
of bad weather, Zinzendorf reached St Thomas on the 29th 
of January 1729. In this self-denying separation from 
those whom he most dearly loved, we find him maintaining 
a constant communion with the friend of his earliest days. 
" We poured out our soul," he says, in reference to his 
conversations with Jesus at this period, "in free and 
familiar intercourse with the Saviour, and we could not 
restrain our tears when we thought how near He is to us,° 
what simplicity is permitted us in approaching Him, how 
we can pass a whole day with Him, how there is not a 
thought, or a want, or a care that we may not communicate 
to Him more freely than we could do to the most intimate 
friend. In coming to Him it is a comfort to know that the 
inmost recesses of our hearts are open to His view, and 
nothing passes there but He knows it." 

A curious example of this freedom with the Saviour 
occurred at the very outset of Zinzendorf s voyage. He 
was subject to sea-sickness, and was very anxious to be 
preserved from it on this occasion, as he had a number of 
things on hand that he wished to attend to during the 
passage. "As I had a great deal to do," he states, "I 
told the Saviour what a hindrance it would be to me to be 
ill so long, and I was in fact cured before we set sail." 

Zinzendorf found the mission at St Thomas in a deplor- 
able state. The missionaries had been well received by the 
negroes, nine hundred of whom had been converted to 
Christ. But the planters were displeased, and not only 
laid heavier burdens than before on their slaves, but took 
every means in their power to put an end to the preaching 



192 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



of the gospel. They complained to the governor that the 
missionaries wanted to make the negroes better Christians 
than their masters, and finding that the Moravians objected 
to take an oath, they made this a handle against them, and 
threw them into prison. There they had passed three 
weary months, and were beginning to despair when Zin- 
zendorf arrived. The first negro he met was stopped and 
interrogated about the missionaries from Germany ; and on 
hearing how matters stood, Zinzendorf at once applied to 
the governor for their release. The governor supposing 
that the noble author of this request was still in favour at 
the Danish court, immediately sent an officer to conduct 
the missionaries to the Count's lodging, and on their 
entering the room where he was sitting, Zinzendorf rose 
and bowed to them, and kissed the hand of each one, that 
the messenger who had accompanied them might see the 
esteem and affection in which he held them. 

The next day the governor paid his respects in person 
to Zinzendorf, and made the best apology he could for the 
incarceration of the missionaries. He said that it had been 
done without his authority, and that the unruly spirit of 
the colonists was often beyond his control. 

Zinzendorf did not care to urge the matter further, but 
simply asked permission to interest himself in the negroes 
during his stay in the island, and this being granted, he 
at once set to work. 

Devotional meetings were resumed, and the slaves came 
in crowds after their long day's work was done, to listen 
to the merciful message of the gospel. The services were 
necessarily fixed at a late hour, and the voice of praise 



WESTWAED TO THE EESCUE. 



193 



ascending from the glad hearts of these poor sons of toil, 
might often be heard in the deep silence of the night, 
like the songs of Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi. 

Up to this time, the missionaries had not been able to 
obtain a foot of ground as their own, and consequently 
they had often been at a loss for a place to meet in. The 
Count, after some difficulty, succeeded in purchasing a 
house with a small plantation, which was set apart for 
the use of the mission. But the whites were so enraged 
at the new turn of affairs, that they organised a sudden 
and cruel attack on the helpless blacks one evening while 
they were at worship, and forcibly dispersed them. 

As the governor could not prevent these outrages, or 
pretended that he could not, Zinzendorf thought the only 
course now left him was to lay the whole matter before 
the Government at Copenhagen. 

After a stay of only three weeks, he embarked for 
Amsterdam, accompanied by a Dane and a converted 
negro that he had bought. Just as they were about to 
move out of the harbour, a Portuguese Jew. who was 
wanting to go to Holland, begged Zinzendorf to help him. 
Zinzendorf, in the generosity of his heart, at once paid the 
poor man s passage and that of his wife, and gave up his 
cabin for their accommodation. 

Zinzendorf soon found that his new acquaintance was a 
very intelligent and open-hearted man, and took a great 
fancy to him. They generally spent the whole evening in 
conversation. Zinzendorf said little in the way of contro- 
versy, but spoke of what was uppermost in his own heart, 
and told Da Costa, — for that was the Jew's name. — of the 

N 



194 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



intense affection he felt for the Saviour. Da Costa was 
thus irresistibly drawn by the power of love, and involun- 
tarily blended his sympathies and prayers with those of 
his friend. 

During the whole of his voyage, the Count kept hard at 
work, studying, writing letters, composing hymns, and other 
matters for the press, and apparently indifferent to the roll- 
ing of the ship, though it often blotted his writing and made 
it almost illegible. But his health was sadly disordered ; 
and after seven weeks on the ocean, during which he had 
eaten but little, and seldom slept, he landed at Dover in 
a state of feverish prostration. But the business which 
brought him to Europe was urgent, and he hastened, after 
a few days, to lay the case of the oppressed negroes before 
the authorities in Denmark. 

His first resting-place was in Holland. As he passed 
through this country on his way westward, he had found 
the Dutch pastors almost unanimously against him; and 
such were the erroneous representations then made in the 
pastoral letter which they published, as to the religious 
doctrines and practices at Herrnhut, that he had simply 
said in answering, "I do not know the Herrnhut to 
which tins description applies." The storm had by no 
means subsided. Pamphlet after pamphlet had come out, 
each one bringing some fresh charge against the Brethren. 
Zinzendorf seems to have felt all this deeply, and says, in 
writing to a friend at the time, that he often asked the 
Saviour, whether it were not possible for this bitter cup 
to be taken from him, — " bitter/' he remarks, " for my 
brethren and for myself — perhaps good for me, but hurt- 



WESTWAKD TO THE EESCUE. 



195 



ful to them." Some persons had even spread a report of 
his death, as if to try and break the few bonds existing 
between him and his friends. 

It was remarkable, however, that he should have left 
St Thomas when he did ; for after his departure, an order 
arrived from the Danish king, commanding that he should 
be arrested and imprisoned. The ship that conveyed this 
royal mandate had been detained by contrary winds, and 
had only reached the West India Islands as Zinzendorf 
came in sight of the white cliffs of England. 

From Holland the Count rejoined his family at Marien- 
born ; and although his altered appearance told too plainly 
of the combined effects of toil and sorrow, his presence 
among the Brethren in the new colony excited unbounded 
joy. He was called away for a brief interval to attend a 
conference at Ebersdorf, in which he decidedly opposed the 
plans of organisation then entertained by some of the 
Brethren in Germany. The large number of conversions 
that had recently taken place in several German towns had 
led them to think of withdrawing from the Lutheran and 
the Keformed Churches, to one or other of which most of 
them belonged, and of constituting themselves into a distinct 
ecclesiastical body. Zinzendorf strongly objected to sepa- 
ration, and maintained the importance of seeking to win 
souls to Christ in all communions, rather than to build up 
some one denomination at the expense of others. But he 
found it no easy task to carry his views with men who 
were in the very heat of a recent revival, and were full of 
schemes for external consolidation and extension, and he 
left them only half persuaded. On his return to Marien- 



196 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



born, he wore himself out with excessive labours, and utter 
prostration supervened. His medical attendant, to make 
matters worse, prescribed a soothing draught ; but it so 
happened that a stimulant was administered by mistake, 
and thus he was saved. The moment he recovered he 
gave himself with more ardour than ever to the active ser- 
vice of God, and originated a Theological Seminary at 
Herrnhaag, based on the principles of the Augsburg Con- 
fession, the first students being some young men who had 
come from Jena with his son, Christian Ernest. Among 
other objects pertaining to internal organisation, he also 
built a house for the occupation of unmarried Brethren. 
This afforded a new subject of criticism to his assailants ; 
for although the inmates neither took vows nor adopted 
the principle of community of goods, they were suspected 
of Popish leanings, and Zinzendorf had to bear the blame. 

While these home efforts were in process, the flame of mis- 
sionary zeal did not decline. The Mohicans were followed 
in their prairie wanderings with the message of the gospel ; 
and an attempt was made to plant its standard in Ceylon 
among the Cingalese and the Malays. In the latter case 
the zeal of the Brethren was only rendered abortive by the 
Pastoral Letter, which had found its way from Holland to 
those distant shores. The Count had his eye also on the 
Greeks and Armenians, and sent a deputation to the Sultan 
at Constantinople to secure his approval of a movement in 
that direction. The Sultan did more than he was asked, 
and sent a circular letter to the prelates of the East, repre- 
senting the Moravian Church as in actual union with the 
Greek hierarchy. This was going much too far for the 



WESTWAED TO THE EESCUE. 



197 



real interests of the cause, and Zinzendorf thought it best 
to retreat. 

Zinzendorf was a busy writer. Spangenberg gives a list 
of his published works, amounting to a hundred and eight. 
Among those issued about this period (1739) one of the 
most important was his Essai de Traduction du Nouveau 
Testament, d'apres V original, the chief part of which was 
composed on his voyage to the West Indies. This circum- 
stance, added to the fact that he had no opportunity of 
correction, as the work was carried through the press 
during his illness, will account, in a great measure, for its 
numerous imperfections. It must also be remembered that 
he only intended it as a tentative effort ; and in his modest 
Preface he asks to be set right where he has erred. " We 
desire/' he says, "to be treated like a scholar saying his 
lesson." The literary merits of this performance were, as 
might be expected, severely criticised, and it was pro- 
nounced in many points heretical ; but Zinzendorf, instead 
of defending himself, simply withdrew all the copies he 
could lay hold of, and bravely set to work on a new edition, 
which appeared in 1744. Meantime his first translation 
was followed almost immediately by two other volumes, 
one entitled Conversations on various Religious Truths, 
and the other, Jeremiah the Preacher of Righteousness. 
The latter, composed, like the translation, amidst the toss- 
ings of the Atlantic, is one of the best known, and the most 
interesting of the productions of his pen. It is addressed 
to the clergy, the object being to suggest means for the 
arousal and purification of the degenerate Church of that 
age. 



198 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



It was a rare thing for Zinzendorf to indulge in recrea- 
tion ; but before the new edition of his Testament could be 
proceeded with, it was found necessary for him to suspend 
all sedentary occupation ; and he left Marienborn, with his 
friend Frederick, at Christmas 1739, for a brief tour in 
Switzerland, which very nearly cost him his life. The 
snow was so deep on the roads, that in then* journey from 
Berne to Montmirail, near ISTeuf chatel, he and his companion 
lost their way, and wandered the whole night in a pathless 
wood. They eventually reached Montmirail in a state of 
great exhaustion, and were heartily welcomed by Nicholas 
Watteville, whom the Count had met in Paris twenty years 
before, but had not seen since that time. The news of 
Count Zinzendorf s arrival created quite an excitement. 
Watteville's wife was terribly frightened at the idea of 
entertaining such a formidable person as she had imagined 
the Count to be ; and she was agreeably surprised when she 
found what a genial and sociable being he was. Zinzen- 
dorf took this opportunity of visiting the aged Baron Watte- 
ville, the father of his two friends, with whom he had long 
corresponded; and he also made the acquaintance of an 
eminent Bernese pastor, Samuel Lucius (Lutz), who 
laboured in the village of Diesbach. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OF PRUSSIA. 

Zinzendorf met with a cordial reception as he passed 
through Berne, Basle, and Schaffhausen on his way home- 
ward. In a letter he wrote from Basle to a friend in Nurem- 
berg, he says : — 

"It is more than thirty years since I received a deep 
impression of Divine grace, through the preaching of the 
cross. The desire to bring souls to Jesus took possession 
of me, and my heart became fixed on the Lamb. It is true 
that I have not always taken the same road to come to 
Him ; for at Halle I went to Him directly, at Wittemberg 
through morality, at Dresden through philosophy, and after 
that through an endeavour to follow His steps. It was 
not till after the happy establishment of the community of 
Herrnhut, and since the affair with Dippel, that I came 
to Him through the simple doctrine of His sufferings and 
His death. 

" I have uniformly acted from love to Jesus, and without 
any secondary motive. To seek to make myself a name 
through the cause of God was no part of my character ; I 
was fond of horses and grandeur, and my nature would 
have prompted me to emulate the glory of Xenophon, or 



200 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Brutus, or Seneca, My education, too, strengthened by the 
example of my father and my ancestors, would have led me 
in this direction. But I was perfectly aware that the teach- 
ing of Jesus was not the way to arrive at such an end ; 
and I sacrificed all that to Him. Then, my progress has 
been somewhat slow and irregular. As I had no guide, and 
in our days we do not understand Scripture as it is, but as it 
has been twisted and paraphrased, I allowed myself to be di- 
rected by the examples of the saints, and not by principles. 

" Although, in 1711, 1714, 1717, 1719, and 1721, 1 felt 
the power of grace within me, and was as certain of my 
salvation as of my existence, I listened to the assertion of 
M. Mischke, who told me that I was not converted. I then 
commenced a kind of struggle, which I now feel was not 
necessary, but which, at all events, had a happy issue. 
From that time I often felt that God had sealed my sal- 
vation and my adoption, and I felt it so powerfully that I 
ceased to entertain any fear of falling by this means into 
spiritual pride. It has always been the blood of Jesus 
Christ that has brought me to this state of assurance. I 
have passed through a hundred times more agony and tears 
than I would ever require of any sinner. The course I fol- 
lowed may, perhaps, be justified, inasmuch as it served me 
in my special vocation ; but I consider it, nevertheless, ab- 
surd, and it is a roundabout way that I would advise every 
one to avoid. 

" As to a general plan, I have none. I follow the Sav- 
iour year after year, and I gladly do what has to be done. 
But I sometimes have a particular plan for a year or two, 
arising out of some special occurrence. Thus, for example, 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OF PRUSSIA. 201 



I am aiming to preserve to the Saviour the Moravian 
Church (which originated without me), and not to allow it 
to fall into the wolfs mouth while I live or after I am gone, 
so far as I can prevent it. Another of my plans is to seek 
as many of the heathen as I can, with a view to their par- 
taking in the blood which has been shed for all the world ; 
and I have resolved to do my utmost in fulfilment of the 
Saviour's last wishes (John xvii.), by uniting the children 
of God wherever they are outwardly gathered together. I 
am not seeking to bring them into the Moravian commu- 
nity — far from that, I work in an opposite direction ; but 
into that universal community into which the Moravian 
sect will ultimately have to be fused, when it has finished 
the task now committed to it. I have resolved to bring as 
many souls as I can to the knowledge of sin and grace. I 
love to ascend the pulpit, and I have sometimes ridden 
fifty miles for that purpose. I had, in fact, resolved to 
unite all the children of God now separated from each 
other, and pursued this object uninterruptedly from 1717 
to 1739. But now I give it up ; for I not only see that I 
do no good by it, but I begin to observe that there is a 
mystery of Divine providence connected with the matter." 

No apology need be made for the quotation of this letter 
at full length, as it gives the reader a better insight into 
Zinzendorf s character than many passages of historical 
narrative would supply. The constitutive principle of a 
man s life is the estimate he forms of it — the impression it 
produces on him. What he aims at is, to say the least, as 
important as what he accomplishes. And in this view it 



202 



THE BAXLSHZD C0U>~T. 



is interesting and instructive to peruse the correspondence 
that passed between him and the King of Prussia when 
that monarch's days were drawing to a close. 

Having learnt of the illness of Frederick-William, Zin- 
zendorf wrote to him as follows : — 

' : Will your Majesty condescend kindly to receive this 
letter, and to listen to my very humble request. I cannot 
be thankful enough to your Majesty for all the kindness 
that you have shown me ; and as your Majesty is often ill. I 
cannot help manifesting my deep gratitude by telling you. 
in all sincerity, how fully persuaded I am that my crucified 
Saviour can become all in all to you. The conversations 
that I have had with your Majesty plainly prove to me that 
you have put needless difficulties in your own way, as 
others generally do. Though your Majesty has caused 
the Redeemer as much sorrow as I have, I believe that, as 
He has received me, a poor sinner, He will receive you also, 
if you wish it with all your heart. I am not yielding to 
the spirit of presumption, nor acting at the instigation of 
others, for no one knows anything of this letter ; and I 
would very humbly pray you to destroy it or to return it to 
me, and, in the latter case, to write at the end of it Yes or 
No, according to whether you think proper to grant or to 
refuse me your authority for interfering in the concerns of 
your soul. I will be entirely ruled by the wish that your 
Majesty may deign to express. And I hope your Majesty 
will understand the loyalty of my intention, and will keep 
to yourself what I have said, as it would appear ridiculous 
in the eyes of the world. As far as I am concerned, no one 



COEEESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OF PEUSSIA. 203 



but the Lord shall know of the step that I have taken, or 
of such as may follow hereafter. 

" I remain, with the most profound respect, but with a 
respect which does not exclude the most perfect frankness, 
your Majesty's very humble, faithful, and devoted 

" ZlNZENDOEF. 

" Mabienboen, near Frankfort-on-the-Main, 
24th February 1740;" 

The King pencilled in his own hand, at the back of the 
letter, the answer that he wished to be returned : — 

" Tell him that I am much obliged to him for the good 
advice he gives me ; that I am at peace with God and 
my Saviour, to whose grace I trust for my temporal and 
spiritual well-being ; that I repent of my sins ; and that I 
will strive more and more to get rid of them, at least, as 
far as human weakness can, and to show myself grateful to 
God ; that I have never been a man to hang down my head 
like a hypocrite, and I do not intend to become one, for I 
do not believe that to be right ; that I forgive all my ene- 
mies with all my heart." 

A letter was drawn up from this memorandum, and the 
King signed it, adding with his own hand : — " I await the 
answer." 

The Count replied on the 15th of March : — 

" Your Majesty has deigned, by your letter of the 5th 
inst., to permit and to command me to reply. But I hardly 



204 THE BANISHED COUNT. 



know how you would wish me to do it. Am I to confirm 
the satisfaction your Majesty expresses as to your spiritual 
state ? or must I openly tell you the doubts that the read- 
ing of this letter awakened in my mind ? I will do no- 
thing hurriedly, but will await a special command from 
your Majesty ; and till then I will not cease to pray to my 
beloved Saviour for you. I will ask Him to grant that, if 
your Majesty is in such a state as He would have you to 
be, grace may be given you to remain so for ever. If, on 
the contrary, He would wish me to lay before your Majesty 
the thoughts that occurred to me on reading what you 
have written, may He operate on the heart of your Majesty 
as He sees needful ! Little is required ; but that little is 
indispensable ; and as there are millions of Christians who 
do not find it, the work of salvation, though intended for 
all men, remains a mystery. — I am," &c. 

The King replied, on the 22d of March, as follows : — 

" My very dear Count, — I have duly received your 
letter of the 15th inst., informing me that mine to you has 
given rise to certain doubts in your mind. You will gratify 
me by a candid statement of them, and by pointing out 
what you think is wrong in my profession of faith. — I am 
ever your very affectionate, 

" Frederick- William." 



On the receipt of this request, Zinzendorf lost no time 
in forwarding to the King the following explanation of his 
views : — 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OF PRUSSIA. 205 

" Makienboen, 4th April 1740. 

" Your Majesty doubtless knows the secret of my bold- 
ness in undertaking to address you again. Your Majesty 
knows the love I feel towards your soul, and you can 
understand how little confidence I can place in my own 
zeal — what need I have to be afraid of undertaking any- 
thing to which I am not called — and the respect due to 
a king — all rendering it difficult for me to write to you. 
But you have condescended to invite me to further cor- 
respondence. This indulgence, of which I am unworthy, 
perplexes me, and will effectually serve to guard me against 
theological pride in throwing my heart at the Saviour's 
feet, to implore of Him what is good for you. 

" When we love any one we do not long hesitate to urge 
on them the use of the remedy that we have found effec- 
tive ; and we do not do this from any depreciation of the 
remedies of others, but from love, and without calculation 
of consequences. This is how it is with me. In this letter 
I shall only touch on some points which at once present 
themselves to me. I have referred to the rest in general 
terms, and in a separate form. May the Saviour incline 
your Majesty to take what He wishes you to take. 

" My reason for this course is, that I only know your 
Majesty through the personal intercourse that I have been 
favoured with ; for I only believe so much of what I read 
or hear — especially about exalted personages — as I myself 
have seen or have heard from their own Hps. I cannot 
make any practical application of the truth to any one till I 
have studied them, and thoroughly questioned them ; and 
it would be especially difficult for me to make a pointed 



206 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



appeal to your Majesty — not because there is any reason to 
fear your Majesty's displeasure, for I know that the truth 
is welcome to you, and, besides that, I have a mighty 
Saviour, in whose service I fear nothing ; but because I do 
not know the essential principles on which your Majesty 
acts. I might, therefore, find fault with something for 
which your Majesty could offer a good reason, or I might 
express my approval of what you could not justify ; 
for motives, and not acts, are the true criteria to judge 
by. 

" To come to the letter which your Majesty has con- 
descended to write me, it contains three things which I 
should not put in that way if I were about to go to my 
Saviour ; but, with these exceptions, I could subscribe to 
every word of it, for it contains my own theology. 1. If I 
were about to depart, I could not think of hypocrites. 2. 
I should not only forgive my enemies, but I should con- 
sider what it behoved me to do to obtain their forgiveness. 
I have to make this a matter of careful consideration every 
year, because it is one of the things that my Saviour has 
positively enjoined. 3. I could not have promised to 
amend as far as human weakness can. 

" If I lay stress on this last point, it is because I believe 
that man not only cannot do much good, but cannot do 
any at all ; while, on the other hand, the Saviour has power 
to make us completely conformed to His will, provided 
that we allow Him to do so. Besides, according to Scrip- 
ture, (Kom. i.,) sins are a punishment to us ; and to say 
that we wish to keep from sin is to say that we wish to 
avoid a punishment which we are obliged to undergo, and 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KING OP PRUSSIA. 207 

which we cannot escape from till we have obtained His 
grace. Hence our starting-point must be grace — a grace 
that we believe in with the heart, and accept with tears of 
joy, whether it has been earnestly pleaded for, as in the 
case of almost all who are saved, or whether it has come 
unsought, as in the case of Paul. When grace has been 
received, we • can keep from sin if we will. J esus has 
atoned, and has taken away both the evil and its punish- 
ment. From the time that we enter on this experience, if 
a wrong desire presents itself, we can give thanks to God 
that we are no longer under its dominion ; we say to 
covetousness, pride, avarice, " You nailed our Lord to the 
cross."* Your Majesty is quite right in not wishing to be 
a hypocrite ; and, for my part, I hold myself up as much 
as I can. But there are moments when even kings are 
compelled to bow, and to hang down their heads, when 
their sins overwhelm them, and become a heavier load 
than they can bear. The hundred and sixteenth Psalm 
describes this state of mind, and shows the way of escape 
from it. In such a case as this, it would not be well to 
refuse to bow the head. 

" I conclude, for I have no more to say that bears 
directly upon your Majesty's letter. But the accompany- 
ing essay f fully expresses my sentiments with regard to 
salvation. If your Majesty will condescend to look at it, 
you may find something useful in it, though I cannot 
attempt to apply the principles it contains to your Majesty's 

* A quotation from a hymn. 

+ An essay entitled Reflections on the Conversion of Sich Persons, 
composed specially for the King of Prussia. 



208 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



case ; because that would be to pass a rash judgment. — 
I am," &c. 

Frederick -William died soon after these documents 
reached him (May 31, 1740), and before he could answer 
them. But there is reason to hope that Zinzendorf's words 
were not in vain. 



CHAPTEK XX. 



THE CHURCH IN COUNCIL. 

At the synod held at Gotha a few weeks after Frederick- 
William's death, David Mtschmann, the bishop, and Anna 
Nitschmann, who had for ten years discharged the duties 
of an elder among the sisters at Herrnhut, being about to 
leave for North America, Zinzendorf resigned his episcopal 
office, chiefly because he foresaw that a greater amount of 
responsibility would devolve on him, and he feared that 
this might tend to set his own personal enemies against the 
Brethren generally. His resignation, however, was stoutly 
opposed, and the synod only yielded so far as to relieve him 
of the actual work of the episcopate, by appointing Poly- 
carp Miiller, formerly professor at Leipsic, as his colleague. 

The numerous pamphlets that were poured forth at this 
time, chiefly from the Pietists at Halle, against the Breth- 
ren, induced the same synod to resolve on the presentation 
of an address to Dr Franke* and his friends. This docu- 
ment, the object of which was to make a candid acknow- 
ledgment of things wherein the Brethren felt themselves 
wrong, was drawn up by Zinzendorf, and sent to Halle by 
Leonard Dober and the new Bishop Polycarp ; but it failed 

* Son of A. H. Franke, the founder of the Orphan Asylum. 





210 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



of its purpose, as the Pietist divines refused to see the 
delegates. 

The magnanimity of Zinzendorf towards his accusers has 
already been referred to. He carried it to such an extent, 
that when the author of a hostile pamphlet sent him a 
copy, as most of those who wrote against him did, he 
thought it his duty to read it to his brethren in full 
assembly, and on a day when there was the largest attend- 
ance of strangers. And he only discontinued this practice 
at the urgent request of the Brethren themselves, because 
they would not hear him thus picked to pieces and mis- 
represented. 

One good effect, however, resulted from all this activity 
of his opponents. Visitors from Germany, Switzerland, 
Livonia, Denmark, Norway, Holland, and England, flocked 
to Harienborn to see this condemned man and his adhe- 
rents with then own eyes ; and the result was, that many 
were disabused of their false impressions, and the com- 
munity at Herrnliaag became rapidly enlarged. 

The Count, however, according to the testimony of Span- 
genberg, was little disposed to rejoice in this influx ; for, 
though he readily received such persons as had no means of 
being useful to their fellow-countrymen, and felt it incum- 
bent on them to seek another home for the sake of their 
own spiritual well-being, he was decidedly of opinion that 
if those who loved the Saviour had remained at home 
and borne witness to the truth in their own neighbour- 
hood, they would have served the cause of Christ far better 
than by leaving their native lands to join a distant com- 
munity. 



THE CHUECH IN COUNCIL. 



211 



The mixed character of the community which gradually 
peopled the Wetterau (the name given to the district com- 
prising Marienborn, Herrnhaag, and Eonneburg) may be 
imagined from the circumstance that out of seven persons 
who were confirmed on one day in the year 1740, there 
were not two belonging to the same country; one was a 
Pole, another a Hungarian, and then came a Swiss, an 
Englishman, a Swede, a Livonian, and a German. Hence 
the difficulty the Count experienced in maintaining peace 
and order, especially in a country which was not, like 
Herrnhut, under his own authority. He strove, however, 
against all untoward influences with courageous determi- 
nation and unceasing prayer, and not only endeavoured to 
build up the Church at home, but fostered the missionary 
spirit, and had just sent out new labourers to Greenland 
and Surinam, when his health gave way under the pres- 
sure of excessive toil and anxiety ; and he entreated to be 
released from the duties of the presidency. He seems to 
have regarded his illness as a divine intimation of some- 
thing in which he had failed to follow the Saviour's direc- 
tions ; and he said that while he had always been wanting 
in most of the gifts that were requisite for such an impor- 
tant office, he had lost the qualifications he once possessed. 
The Brethren, however, were of a very different opinion ; 
he was induced, at their unanimous request, to withdraw 
his resignation ; and instead of retiring from the field, he 
only entered upon new forms of exertion. 

Attended by a suite of about fifty members of the Church, 
among whom was the Countess and his eldest son, and who 
kept up an incessant offering of prayer night and day, he 



212 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



passed the spring of 1741 in Switzerland, unfolding in 
public, and before the Genevan pastors and professors, the 
great doctrines of the gospel. The Library of Geneva still 
contains the document he drew up, addressed a la Vener- 
able Comjoagnie de MM, les Pasteurs et Professeurs de 
VEglise de Geneve, in which he detailed the history, dis- 
cipline, and faith of the Moravians ; and he also dedicated 
to the same body a French translation of the book of Texts, 
which he had compiled for the year 1740, setting forth the 
teaching of Scripture as to the person and work of Christ. 
A society of United Brethren, founded at this time, long re- 
mained as a monument of the success of Zinzendorf 's labours 
in the city of Calvin. Although the Swiss pastors were 
somewhat alarmed at the Count's decisive tone as to the 
divinity of Jesus, they sent a deputation, including M. 
Mallet, the moderator of the Academy ; Vernet, the rector ; 
the pastor, Luilin ; and Professor Keeker, the father of the 
famous minister of Louis XVI., to present him with their 
official thanks for the historical memorial that he had 
placed in their hands ; and though some of the rabble 
threw stones at the Countess's carriage as the party were 
leaving the neighbourhood, the moderator wrote to Zinzen- 
dorf, in the name of all his colleagues, to express their 
extreme regret at such an occurrence. 

Early in the autumn of the same year, we find this 
untiring man in England making preparations for a 
voyage to North America, with a view to inspect the 
missions that had been established among the Indians 
in the English possessions; and if possible, to promote 
fraternal union between the different parties into which 



THE CHUECH IN COUNCIL. 



213 



the Christians of Pennsylvania and the neighbouring pro- 
vinces were divided. 

The first step he took before leaving Marienborn, was 
to resign the episcopate; and on his arrival in London, 
he ransacked his memory for the names of all those who 
might have anything against him, and wrote to every one 
of them, proposing terms of peace. In some cases where 
hostility was persisted in, he followed up these letters by 
strong representations of the danger that attended such 
'unchristian conduct; and, in consequence of tins, he was 
accused of fulminating curses upon his brethren, and in 
many quarters was condemned without a hearing. 

The synod that met at this time in the English metro- 
polis, was marked by an interesting and characteristic event. 

It will be remembered that, when the constitution of 
Herrnhut was settled in 1727, twelve elders were elected 
whose duties were chiefly of a sacerdotal character. They 
were chosen on account of their eminent piety, and were 
generally occupied in prayer for the various members of 
the Church, or in giving their counsel on occasions of 
special moment, and seeing that the statutes which had 
been enacted were faithfully carried out. After a time, 
they devolved their office on four of their number selected 
by lot, and eventually the number was reduced to two, 
one of whom was looked upon as the responsible func- 
tionary, the other only acting as his substitute. As the 
Church enlarged its boundaries, this office advanced in im- 
portance, the elder at Herrnhut being the general elder 
of the whole body, to whom all the members, even in the 
most distant colonies, looked for guidance, as the Jews 



214 



THE BANISHED COO'T. 



looked to the High. Priest when he wore the ITrim and 
the Thuminini on his breast. 

Each individual community had its own officers for its 
internal management ; but the general affairs of the society 
were conducted by the Community of the Pilgrims, consist- 
ing of Zinzendorf and his companions. Since the year 
1736. when the Count was banished from Saxony, his 
central government had been located, at different times, 
in the TVetterau. in Frankfort. Berlin. Geneva, and Lon- 
don. Hence, the general elder of the entire Church always 
accompanied this movable administration. At the period 
now referred to. Leonard Dober, who had been recalled 
from his sphere of missionary labours in the island of St 
Thomas, held this high dignity. But having faithfully 
discharged its anxious and oppressive duties for seven 
years, he had recently resigned it. and the synod was 
about to appoint a successor. 

Various names having been proposed, but without any 
satisfactory result, "'the conference,'"'' says Spangenberg, 
became protracted, and we were greatly perplexed. At 
last seme one said. ; Wiry should not the Lord himself 
condescend to take this office ? He is the only one that 
nobody can object to ! ' To this view there was a universal 
and instant response." " The question."'' adds Spangenberg, 
• ■ was not whether the Saviour would be the bishop and 
I aster of our souls in a general manner : what we desired, 
and what we asked of Him. was to form an alliance of 
a special kind with the poor people of the Brethren ; to 
accept us as His private property ; to take the care of all 
pur affairs, however small ; to watch over us particularly ; 



THE CHUECH IN COUNCIL. 



215 



to hold personal intercourse with each member of the 
community ; in fact, to undertake a perfect fulfilment of 
all the functions which our former elder discharged, as far 
as his weakness permitted." 

The matter was laid before the Saviour according to the 
mode usually adopted by the Moravians. The written 
Word was first appealed to for guidance, by opening the 
book of Texts. This being favourable, the Lord was 
asked to indicate His will more clearly, by the yes or no, 
that might be drawn from the urn. The answer was 
affirmative; and the 13th of November 1741 was fixed upon 
for the installation of the Divine Elder, whose election was - 
a virtual abolition of official human priesthood in the 
Moravian Church. 

It was resolved to mark this memorable day by a 
general forgiveness of all persons who had offended 
against the Church, in its corporate capacity, or against 
any of its members. 

This act of amnesty was severely commented on in 
many of the journals, and a revival of the Eomish 
custom of indulgences was ascribed to Zinzendorf, as 
the Pope of the Herrnhuttites. He, however, had 
never dreamt of such a thing as a formal absolution. 
In fact, the resolution was not drawn up till after he 
had set sail for America, and he was not aware that 
it had gone forth till he returned and saw it in the 
public prints. 

Another important act of the London Conference was 
the institution of a diaconate for the management of 
finances. Up to this time, the Countess had had the charge 



216 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



of this department ; but the business connected with it had 
grown to such proportions that it had become necessary to 
relieve her of the burden. Zinzendorf objected on principle, 
as well as from natural delicacy, to make collections for the 
pecuniary wants of the Church ; and accordingly, when the 
funds proved insufficient for the expenses of the various 
missions and educational establishments, he submitted to 
the necessity of contracting loans on his own account, be- 
cause he was anxious to prevent the cause of Christ from 
becoming burdensome to the members of the community. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



THE PENNSYLVANIA^. 

When the Count embarked for New York at Gravesend, 
at the end of September 1741, war was raging in Europe. 
Spain and France had just declared against Maria Theresa, 
whose cause Great Britain espoused. The seas were in- 
fested with pirates, and passengers in English vessels ran 
the risk of falling into the hands of the Spaniards. Zin- 
zendorf was advised not to trust himself except in a man- 
of-war ; but as this would have delayed his departure, and 
lengthened the time of his voyage, he took a different 
course. The Quakers and the Mennonites would no doubt 
have conceived a prejudice against him if he had made his 
appearance among them sheltering under the array of battle. 

" And besides," he wrote, " I do not desire any other 
protection than that described in the 7th chapter of the 
Apocalypse, (ver. 1-3.) Last year, when my friends went 
to Philadelphia, I did not scruple to recommend their 
taking Spanish passports. It is right to take these pre- 
cautions when others are concerned ; but I should not feel 
justified in doing so for myself : I should consider that I 
was violating the safeguard that has been given me, 
(Lukexii. 7.)"* 

* " The very hairs of your head are all numbered." 



218 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Accordingly he took his passage on board a merchant 
ship, accompanied by his eldest daughter, Benigna, then 
about sixteen years of age, and some of the Brethren and 
Sisters. In the course of this voyage, which occupied two 
months, he composed some of his best hymns ; and the 
striking contrasts of feeling they express, remind us of the 
inspired psalmists, at one moment sinking under the 
whelming waves of sorrow, and then rising in triumphant 
strains of gratitude and joy. 

After spending a few days in New York, he took a house 
in Philadelphia, adopting that city as the centre of his 
movements, and organising the little Church that was to 
follow him as usual. He then applied to the governor of 
the province for some one with a knowledge of English 
and German, to act as witness against any designing per- 
son who might attempt to bring suspicion upon him by 
misrepresenting what he said. 

The object of his first excursion in Pennsylvania was 
to inquire into the condition of the German colonists in 
that region, who had increased to the number of above a 
hundred thousand. On reaching the banks of the Dela- 
ware, he had the gratification of meeting some of the 
1 Brethren, who had left Hernnhut in 1734 and 1735, and 
who were now engaged in rearing the two establishments 
i afterwards known as Bethlehem and Nazareth. 

On the day that Zinzenclorf disembarked in the harbour 
of New York, he laid aside his title, and merely announced 
himself as Louis von Thurnstein, so that he was generally 
called Brother Louis, or Friend Louis, according to the 
custom of the Quakers. His opponents, however, persisted 



THE PENNSYLVANIA^. 219 

in giving him the honours of aristocracy, as it answered 
their purpose to do so ; and he therefore made a formal 
renunciation of his rank as a nobleman, in the governor's 
house in Philadelphia, and in the presence of several of the 
leading citizens. Having given a statement of his reasons 
for this step, in a Latin speech which was previously 
printed and distributed among the auditors, he gathered in 
all the copies that had been used, and sent them under seal 
to the keeper of the archives of the province, requesting him 
to retain them till he should return to Europe, and get his 
title as Count of the Holy Empire officially cancelled. 

It is difficult to determine exactly what it was that led 
Zinzendorf to resolve on this singular mode of procedure ; 
but it would appear, from a portion of his speech preserved 
in one of his works,* that his chief motive was to prevent 
the reproach that he had incurred, for the truth's sake, from 
falling upon the other members of the Zinzendorf house. 

Among those who were present on this occasion, was 
Benjamin Franklin, a " postmaster," as he is styled in a 
memorandum appended to Zinzendorf s speech, who had 
already achieved extensive fame by his scientific labours, 
and, twenty years afterwards, became conspicuous among 
the liberators of his country. 

There were large numbers of Lutherans at this time in 
Pennsylvania, but they were in a very dead state. In the 
country districts generally, and in many towns, they had 
no ministers, and never met for public worship. It was 
not, therefore, surprising that they were scorned by all 
other religious parties ; and if Zinzendorf had been anxious 

* Die gegenwcertige Gestalt des Kreuz-Reichs Jesu, p. 186. 



220 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



about his own reputation, he would have taken care not to 
identify himself with them. But their wretched condition 
attracted his heart ; and just as he had taken the side of 
those whom the Lutherans despised in Germany, so now, 
when the Lutherans themselves needed a friend, we find 
him active among them. His exertions for their spiritual 
good soon drew forth a grateful response ; and after at- 
tending the services that he held in his own house, they 
invited him to conduct worship for them in a barn, which 
they were permitted to use as a chinch, in common with 
the Reformed. Zinzendorf readily complied with this re- 
quest, and preached to them every Sunday. He was then 
asked to administer the Lord's Supper ; but he did not 
consent to this until a decided spiritual revival had com- 
menced. 

The next thing was a unanimous vote of the Lutheran 
church in Philadelphia electing Zinzendorf as pastor. He 
accepted the call for the time of his stay in America ; and 
another minister, whom he nominated, was appointed to 
succeed him in the event of his retirement. He also drew 
up a plan of ecclesiastical organisation, which was adopted ; 
and besides estabhshing schoolmasters in the two parishes 
of Pliiladelphia and Tulpehokin, he made provision for the 
other Lutheran churches in Pennsylvania to be regularly 
visited by evangelists. 

It was , remarkable that the Reformed, as well as the 
Lutherans, chose Zinzendorf as their pastor, and applied to 
him to celebrate divine service among them according to 
their mode. So that he formed a link between the two 
parties ; and though they met in separate assemblies, the 



THE PENNSYLVANIA^. 



221 



spirit of union soon began to grow up, and the two churches 
walked side by side in Christian harmony. This happy state 
of things was suddenly interrupted by some disorderly per- 
sons, who rushed into the building one day during the cele- 
bration of the Lutheran worship, and, after pulling a minis- 
ter, who was supplying the Count's place, out of the pulpit, 
and forcibly expelling the whole of his hearers, took pos- 
session of the place in the name of the Keformed parish. 
To prevent further hostilities, Zinzendorf erected a new 
church at his own expense, and saw it opened before his 
return to Europe. 

The disturbances within the Lutheran body were of a 
still more painful character ; but they only served to show 
the peaceful spirit that actuated the Count. A minister 
from Germany, belonging to that communion, openly 
avowed his determination to destroy Zinzendorf s influence, 
and succeeded in forming a party against him, which 
threatened to divide the church. But as the author of 
the disaffection was a man of popular talent and preached 
the gospel faithfully, the Count made no resistance what- 
ever, but immediately retired from his post, rejoicing, like 
St Paul, that although " some preached Christ even of 
envy and strife, and some also of good will, notwithstand- 
ing, in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ 
was preached." * 

At the period of which we are writing, the religious 
world in Pennsylvania was split up into innumerable par- 
ties. Besides the Lutherans, the Keformed, the Anglicans, 
the Presbyterians, and the Quakers, there were the Schwenk- 
* Philip, i. 15-18. 



222 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



feldians and the Inspired from Germany ; the Mennonites, 
who rejected infant baptism ; the Baptists, who held the 
same views as the Mennonites in regard to the subject of 
baptism, and adhered to immersion as the only scriptural 
mode ; the Sabbatists, who observed the seventh day of the 
week instead of the first ; and many other minor sects. 

The natural tendency of all these divisions and sub- 
divisions was to increase rather than to diminish ; but 
there were men of enlarged views here and there, who 
soared above all these differences, and often asked the 
question whether some means could not be devised to 
re-unite the body of Christ. At the very moment when 
Zinzendorf arrived in Pennsylvania, a circular was being 
issued by a member of the Eeformed communion, named 
Antes, inviting the Germans of all denominations to 
meet in a general synod, with a view to draw up certain 
general articles of faith such as all could adopt, and to 
determine on a basis of alliance, or at any rate to form a 
treaty of peace.* 

The synod met seven times from January to June 1742, 
although several churches declined to be represented in it. 
Each sitting occupied three days. Zinzendorf was invited 
to attend. Although at first he was received with some 
degree of suspicion, he soon became the soul of the assembly, 
and was unanimously elected as syndic, or president. It 
would be irrelevant to the object of this biography to nar- 

* Yerbeek states that Antes did this " by the advice and at the instiga- 
tion of Zinzendorf." Spangenberg, however, does not mention this, but 
seems to indicate, on the contrary, that the step taken by Antes was quite 
spontaneous. 



THE PENNSYLVANIANS. 



223 



rate the proceedings of this oddly-constituted body, or the 
various resolutions that were passed. Suffice it to say, that 
although it did not realise all the fond hopes that had been 
founded on it, it greatly served to promote the cause of 
Christian union by calling general attention to the subject, 
and impressing many individual minds in the various 
churches with its vast importance. 

Zinzendorf himself has given us the substance of a sermon 
he preached at the opening of this synod, and we quote it, 
because it forms an epitome of his theological views : — 

" There is only one way that ought to be pointed out by 
all Christian teachers, on pain of losing their right to 
teach. There is only one foundation, and that is the merit 
of Jesus. There is only one road that leads to life eternal, 
and this does not consist in the most profound knowledge 
of the Deity, but in the knowledge of God manifest in the 
flesh. This is the God that we must preach ; and we must 
preach Him crucified, because it was thus that He atoned 
for our sins. This truth includes all wisdom, all justifica- 
tion, all sanctification, and all salvation. He who possesses 
this truth here below is raised above all other knowledge ; 
he who carries it into the next world is prepared for eternal 
life. It is difficult to believe it, but not impossible ; for 
the Saviour, by His blood, has purchased for all of us the 
power to believe." 

It was a habit with Zinzendorf to set apart the Saturday 
as a day of rest and prayer, — not out of conformity to the 
Mosaic law, but because of the blessing that God pronounced 
on that day when He had completed the work of creation. 



224 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



While, however, he was careful to let it be understood that 
he considered all persons free to do as they thought fit in 
this matter, he observed the Lord's day in common with 
the Christian Church at large. But though he thus kept 
two Sabbaths instead of one, this was not enough to satisfy 
the rigid notions peculiar to American puritanism ; and 
one Sunday evening, when he was engaged with his daughter 
in composing some hymns, the justice of the peace made 
his appearance, and ordered them, in the King's name, to 
cease writing. The next day they were summoned to 
answer for their crime, and were fined six shillings each for 
profaning the Sabbath. 

The North American Indians in and around Pennsyl- 
vania, at this period, might be divided into three classes. 
The Iroquois, or the confederation of the five peoples, 
ranked first. They were dreaded by the other Bed-skins, 
and held in repute by the European colonists, to whom 
they occasionally sold portions of their immense territories. 
At certain fixed intervals they came in great numbers, with 
their wives and children, to Philadelphia, to renew their 
friendly understanding with the whites, or, as they ex- 
pressed it in their poetic language, to rub off the rust from 
the chain of friendship. The Pennsylvanians received them 
with great distinction, entertained them free of expense 
during their stay, and sent them back loaded with presents. 
The allies of the Iroquois, their " brethren," as they called 
them, formed the second class ; and then came their " cou- 
sins," or the races who were subject to them — such as the 
4 Delawares, the Mohicans, and others. These last lived for 
the most part among the Europeans, and passed their time 



THE PENNSYLVANIANS. 



225 



chiefly in hunting, fishing, and some few minor industrial 
occupations ; but having grafted the vices of civilisation 
upon those of their barbaric fathers, they were regarded as 
the dregs of society, and every one scorned them. 

While Zinzendorf was at Bethlehem, the Indians laid 
claim to the ground on which the Brethren had planted 
their colony called Nazareth. The Count would have been 
for yielding at once, but that he thought there would be 
some danger of alienating a portion of the territory that 
belonged to the British Crown ; and hence he considered it 
only right to refer the matter to the Governor. The 
Indians having taken possession of the ground in question, 
the Governor ordered the Brethren to eject them ; but the 
Indians held to their claim. A legal inquiry was there- 
fore instituted at Philadelphia, in the presence of the Iro- 
quois chiefs, as to the rights of the respective parties ; but 
Zinzendorf settled the matter by persuading his friends to 
make a present to the Indians equal to the amount they 
asked as the price of the land. 

His first missionary tour was made towards the end of 
July with his daughter Benigna, Anna Nitschmann, and 
some of the Brethren, to the region occupied by the 
Delawares, and thence to Tulpehokin, where he met the 
Sachems, or Indian chiefs, returning from their accustomed 
visit to Philadelphia. He advanced towards them, told 
them that he wished to preach the Word of God to them 
and their tribes, and requested them to say whether they 
approved of his purpose. " Neither my brethren nor 
I," he said, " have come among you to buy land or to 
trade, but to show the way of salvation to those who are 



226 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



capable of receiving grace." Conrad Weisser, an Ameri- 
can Sabbatist, who voluntarily accompanied Zinzendorf as 
interpreter, and had a great admiration for him, translated 
these words to the Sachem, and the Iroquois having 
^tired according to their custom for deliberation, came 
back in half-an-hour, and gave him a hearty welcome. A 
number of Moravian missionaries subsequently visited 
them, one of whom was David Zeisberger, who stayed 
several years among them, learned their language, and 
laboured with a considerable amount of success. 

Zinzendorfs general plan of action was, in the first 
instance, to give these Indian tribes a practical insight 
into the religion he came to teach, by simply leading a 
Christian life amongst them ; and when a favourable 
impression had thus been made, and inquiry was excited, 
he preached the leading truths of the gospel, " taking 
care," as Spangenberg remarks, " not to put more things 
into their heads than their hearts could lay hold of." 

But his mode of approaching them was carefully adapted 
to their distinctive peculiarities ; and when he performed 
his last tour, in the autumn of 1742, after ascending the 
Susquehanna, and crossing the primeval forest, he pitched 
his tent at a short distance from Wajomik, the capital of 
the Shawanos, and remained there three weeks, observing 
the habits of the people, and conversing with them, so as 
to make himself familiar with their ideas before he pro- 
ceeded more directly with the special object of his mission. 
He found this tribe to be one of the most corrupt and most 
opposed to the truth. They not only induced many of the 
Mohicans to withdraw from Gnadenhiitten, where they had 



THE PENNSYLVANIA^. 



227 



listened to Christian instruction, and had begun a civilised 
life under the guidance of the missionaries ; but they con- 
certed violent measures to get rid of Zinzendorf and his 
companions. Zinzendorf would have been killed, but that his 
interpreter, in whose absence the murder was to have been 
committed, returned unexpectedly and discovered the plot. 

Such was the form in which these poor savages mani- 
fested their hatred to a man whose motives they could not 
comprehend, and whom they looked upon as an intruder. 

America vied with Europe in a still more deadly 
system of attack. The New York and Philadelphia 
papers, fed by the scandal that arrived with every packet- 
boat from the European continent, forged the basest false- 
hoods to blacken his character ; and although he wrote a 
series of letters in a journal then published by Franklin, to 
deny the charges brought against him, his enemies seemed 
resolved not to be silenced. This unhappy turn of events 
probably contributed to hasten his departure from the new 
country. His chief object had been in some measure 
accomplished, in the organisation of the Moravian institu- 
tions and the promotion of Christian fellowship between 
the other churches, as well as in the powerful impulse and 
the wise direction he had given to missionary effort among 
the heathen. On the 9th of January 1743, (old style,) he 
embarked for Europe. 

During his stay in America, he composed several works, 
among which was an Introduction to Spiritual Direction, 
forming an outline of Pastoral Theology ; and a Latin letter 
To Free Thinkers. The discourses he delivered in Pennsyl- 
vania were also published, and passed through several editions. 



228 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Captain Garrison, who commanded the ship in which 
Zinzendorf sailed, gives the following account of a singular 
occurrence on the voyage. '"On the 14th of February," he 
says in a letter to Spangenberg. ,; we were nearing the 
Scilly Islands, and a hard south wind was driving us 
towards the rocks. The crew were all in terror, and I 
myself felt uneasy. The Count observed it, and asked me 
whether the danger was really serious ; at the same time 
trying to encourage me, and saying that we should all arrive 
safe and sound. He was so cheerful, that I was quite as- 
tonished at him. \Yhen he found that I was still in fear, 
he told me that in two hours the storm would cease. I 
scarcely listened to what he said, considering that what he 
predicted was beyond human foresight ; and I set to work 
to pray in preparation for death, as I usually did on such 
occasions. TVTien the two hours were up, he persuaded 
me to go on deck and watch the weather. I had not been 
there many minutes when the wind tinned south-west, and 
the danger was past. I had scarcely thought of what he 
said till that moment, and then it struck me powerfully. 
I went down into the cabin and told him the storm was 
over, and we had nothing more to fear. He then asked us 
to join him in giving thanks to God for our deliverance, 
and we did so. 

" I had a great desire to know how it was that the 
Count could prophesy in this way. and I asked him. ' I 
will tell you frankly.' he replied, 1 for I hope that you will 
not abuse what I say. For the last twenty years, I have 
lived in close communion with my Saviour. Now, when 
I find nryself in dangerous or unusual circu m stances, the 



THE PENNSYLVANIANS. 



229 



first thing I do is to consider very carefully whether it is 
through any fault of my own. If I discover anything that 
I am not satisfied with, I immediately throw myself at 
His feet, and beg His forgiveness. Then my Saviour 
pardons me, and He generally informs me at once how 
the matter will end. If, however, He is not pleased to 
reveal this to me, I wait quietly, in the belief that it is 
best for me not to know. On tins occasion He communi- 
cated to me the fact that the storm would last for two 
hours/ " 

On the 17th of February, Zinzendorf landed at Dover, 
and after visiting the Moravian establishments in York- 
shire and at Broadoaks, spent some time in London, 
preaching in German every day. His sermons were 
taken down in short-hand, translated into English, and 
read for the benefit of those who did not know the Ger- 
man language. It was in London, too, that he preached 
for the first time in French. 



CHAP TEE XXII. 



THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDREN. 

While the Count was in America, the Countess also per- 
formed several journeys, both in Germany and in other 
countries, and she did not reach her home till three weeks 
after her husband's return. Spangenberg, after referring 
to the singular wisdom and piety of this excellent woman, 
goes on to say : " It often happens that a man is so far 
superior to his wife that she instinctively looks up to him, 
and allows herself to be led by him, almost as if he were 
her father. But this was not the case in the present in- 
stance. Though the Countess loved and honoured her 
husband with all her heart, she had too much originality 
simply to follow him ; and she made such good use of her 
own judgment that her counsel was of the highest value to 
him. She not only spared him all trouble about pecuniary 
and domestic affairs, but she was a faithful and prudent 
helper in those matters which strictly belonged to his voca- 
tion. The Lord was with her, and blessed her in every- 
thing she undertook for the good of the community. Her 
ear was open to any one who needed advice or comfort. 
She was a tender, watchful, wise, and unwearying mother 
to her children. 

" She sometimes gave way to needless anxiety ; but 



THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDEEN. 231 

when the clouds were dispersed, and she saw the matter 
that troubled her in its right light, she felt that she had 
been wrong, and she blamed herself for it." 

Baron Schrautenbach describes her as of middle height, 
not a very good figure, but with an intelligent countenance, 
and all the bearing of a woman of rank. " She was 
simple," he says, " without affectation. She was never 
heard to utter a joke, but people were glad to ask her 
advice. She was full of animation, and readily entered 
into the happiness of others. She spoke little, but was a 
ready listener, and never paraded her wisdom. She was of 
a very easy temperament, and though odd in some things, 
she was always the same. She possessed a remarkably 
sound judgment ; and her whole life, though quiet and 
uniform, indicated great energy of character." 

The same writer tells us that not only her grown-up 
children, but the members of the community in general, 
used to call her Mamma ; and her thoroughly sympathetic 
nature secured the warmest confidence of every one about 
her, especially of those who were in trouble. If any one had 
been unsuccessful in urging some cause with the Count, or 
wanted a friend to introduce anything to him, the Countess 
was always resorted to for this purpose, and her mediation 
was often used without being asked. 

" She was large-hearted," he continues, " and generous, 
so that her partiality for this or that person made no dif- 
ference to others. From five or six o'clock in the morning 
to eleven at night, her room, which was a rendezvous not 
only for her numerous family, but for all the active mem- 
bers of the Church, and even for visitors from other coun- 



232 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



tries, was seldom empty; and when she found it necessary 
to dismiss her visitors for ever so short a time, that she 
might have a little rest, she always apologised for so doing. 
But she had her own little corner, with its table and cur- 
tain, which she kept entirely to herself, and nobody ever 
dared to invade it. She was fond of society ; coidd always 
start a topic of conversation, if necessary ; and was a perfect 
mistress of the art of narrative. She had seen a great deal 
of the world ; and her conversation was always full of in- 
terest and instruction." 

The travels of the Countess, like those of Zinzendorf. 
always had a religious end in view. Her last journey was 
to Livonia, where her husband's preaching a few years 
before had produced a deep impression. Finding that the 
Brethren in that province had to contend with great diffi- 
culties, she determined to visit St Petersburg, in the hope 
of obtaining an audience with the Empress Elizabeth, and 
interesting her on their behalf. On reaching the Russian 
capital, she was received with forced politeness by the 
Chancellor Bestucheff, and other members of the Court 
circle. But she did not succeed in gaining admission to 
the imperial presence ; and she therefore turned her steps 
homeward. She had scarcely passed the frontier when a 
cornier overtook her, saying that her Majesty was anxious 
to see her. The sudden change in the Empress's wishes 
led the Countess to suspect that something was wrong ; 
and she thought it more prudent not to comply with this 
unexpected request, especially as she was now two hundred 
miles from St Petersburg. She learned soon afterwards 



THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDREN. 233 

that she was looked upon as the founder of a new sect, and 
that the disturbances at that time in Livonia were attri- 
buted to her influence. 

The Countess was at Herrnhut, on the eve of starting on 
this expedition to Kussia, when she received the news of 
the death of her youngest son at Marienborn ; and her 
little daughter, Jane Salome, only five years old, died soon 
afterwards at Herrnhut. Little Jane was extraordinarily 
advanced in her religious knowledge and experience. If 
she was at all out of temper, or seemed inclined to disobey, 
it was quite sufficient to tell her that the Saviour would 
be displeased, and she yielded in a moment. During her 
illness she often said how joyful it would be to go to Jesus ; 
and on the last evening before she died, when some friends 
were singing around her bed, she asked them to sing some 
verses of her own choice. Just before her spirit fled, she 
told them to bid her father and mother good-bye, said 
she wanted to go to sleep, and then sank sweetly to eternal 
rest while the hymn she loved was being sung. 

But few particulars have been preserved of the other 
members of Zinzendorf s family. He was completely en- 
grossed in his work. According to his views, the Church, 
though not nullifying the family, extended its bound- 
aries ; and he looked upon his wife and children as his 
fellow-labourers. His early orphanage had trained him 
to regard the Saviour as his dearest friend, and to trust 
Him only with the deepest and strongest emotions of his 
heart, and with all his solicitudes on his own behalf as 
well as for those whom God had given him. As the 



234 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Saviour was the Elder of the Church of the Brethren, so 
He was the centre and head of Zinzendorfs household. 
We are charmed to see Luther romping with his children, 
and finding relief from his severer occupations in their 
merry games. But there was nothing of this kind in the 
domestic life of Zinzendorf. His home — when his wander- 
ings permitted him to have one — was simply the head- 
quarters and the centre of government of the United 
Brethren. But this did not weaken his influence over its 
inmates, or rather, did not prevent their being thoroughly 
united in one heart and one mind. 

Faith appeared innate in his children ; and the love of 
Christ followed so closely upon the dawn of intelligence, 
that it seemed as if the new man were twin to the natural 
man ; and the words of St Paul, 1 Cor. vii. 14,* were 
strikingly fulfilled. 

The following brief details have been furnished by M. 
Bost, in his History of the Church of the Brethren: — f 

" Count Zinzendorf had twelve children, six of whom 
died in infancy. Theodora Caritas died in 1731. Her 
parents offered many prayers for her before her birth, and 
from her earliest days took the utmost care that she should 
neither hear nor see anything but what* sprang from the 
love of Christ, or tended to promote it. The sisters who 
attended upon her were eminent for their spirituality of 
mind, and were also fond of devotional poetry. 

" She could speak prettily before she was a year old ; 

* " Now are they (your children) holy." 
t Histoire de VEglise des Freres, vol. I. 



THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDREN. 235 

and soon after that she took the greatest delight in what 
she called the Saviours hymns, and used to sing them of 
her own accord. She had learnt a great many verses, and 
even entire hymns, simply by hearing the sisters sing 
them ; and she could recall some of the most difficult 
tunes in the Brethren s collection, without a single mistake. 
" One of her favourite verses was, — 

" ' Keep me, Saviour, in Thy way ; 
Let me never turn aside, 
Or forsake my heavenly guide, 
Till the great and final day.' 

" And she was never tired of singing — 

si ' Holy Lamb and Prince of peace, 
Hear my soul implore Thy grace ; 
Grant that my behaviour may 
Meekness, such as Thine, display.' 

" One day her mamma, who had missed her, asked where 
she had been. ' To the Saviour, and to papa/ she replied. 
' Have you been with the Saviour ? ' said her mamma. 
' Yes/ she said ; 1 papa was just talking to Him/ She 
had gone into the Count's room and found him in prayer. 

" In her last illness, when she was two years old, she 
began singing the words that were generally sung at the 
funeral service of a child as the body was being lowered 
to the grave, — 

" ' Jesus, let me come and rest, 
Cradled on Thy gentle breast ! 
Jesus, whom I dearly love, 
Take me to Thy home above ! ' 

But she was too weak to continue, and when obliged to 



236 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



be silent, she lay patiently and peacefully, like a little 
lamb, casting sweet looks of childish love on all around 
her, and drawing tears from every eye. 

" On the 26th of November she appeared to be near 
her end, and her father sang some farewell words at her 
bedside. Her mother being absent, the servants were in 
great fear that the child would die before she could reach 
home. But Zinzendorf asked the Saviour to spare her, 
adding, that he knew not what he was asking, and that 
he left it entirely in the Lord's hands. At the moment 
that he presented this request the violence of the symptoms 
abated, and did not return till after the arrival of the 
Countess, on the 1st of December. When her father went 
to her cradle early in the morning of the 2d of December, 
she lifted up her right hand and put it over her face, as 
she used to do when she wanted to go to sleep. The 
Count placed his own hand upon the little one's, and was 
offering a prayer, when her happy spirit fled. She was 
just two years and six weeks old. 

" On the 16th of May 1732, while the Count was in 
deep sorrow, although resigned and full of ardent love to 
the Saviour, he lost another child, Ernest John, of whom 
things of the same kind are narrated. When he was 
dying, his little sister, four years and a half old, asked 
the elder one, who was weeping, why Ernest was going to 
die. ' No/ Ernest said, ' I am not going to die, though 
they say so ; it is only pain that dies.' The day before 
his death, when he was in great suffering, his little infant 
sister, Caritas, of whom we have spoken above, then only 



THE COUNTESS AND THE CHILDREN. 237 

eighteen months old, turned round in her cradle, and sang 
in her soft clear voice — 

" ' Sweetest lamb ! the clouds are clearing, 
As thy life's last day is nearing ; 
Thou art going away from sorrow, 
It will all be bright to-morrow.' 

" Spangenberg," adds M. Bost, " to whom we are in- 
debted for these particulars, was an eye-witness; and though 
they are extraordinary, he is too conscientious and exact to 
leave any doubt as to their truth." 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE COUNT'S IDEAS OF UNITY. 

The question that was agitated among the Brethren during 
Zinzendorf 's absence on his first visit to America, had again 
arisen while he was away the second time on a similar 
errand. His views, in reference to the position which the 
community ought to take, widely differed from those of the 
Brethren generally. While they were strongly inclined to 
form a church which should be distinct from the other 
evangelical communions, Zinzendorf, on the contrary, was 
\ not much concerned about the extension of the Moravian 
body, and was anxious that the society he had founded, 
while not identifying itself with this or that Christian com- 
munion, should keep its place within the Lutheran and the 
Beformed churches as well as in the Moravian, and thus 
maintain its testimony in favour of Christian union. He 
would have liked to unite it also with the Church of Eng- 
land, and had some hope of accomplishing this, as the 
Archbishop of Canterbury was favourable ; but the course 
taken by the Brethren in London, who preferred to retain 
their independence, rendered this impracticable. 

The tendency towards a distinct organisation was greatly 
promoted by the influence of Count Promnitz, a Silesian 
nobleman, who had joined the society on the Continent 



THE COUNT'S IDEAS OF UNITY. 



239 



while Zinzendorf was abroad, and had actually bought an 
estate near Gotha, with a view to establish a Moravian 
colony in that region, although such a step was not lawful 
according to the constitution of the country. To prevent 
the trouble which would have followed if this project had 
been pursued further, Zinzendorf wrote from London to 
the Duke of Gotha, disavowing any part in the steps that 
had been taken, and saying that the only kind of com- 
munity that he and his friends would think of planting in 
that kingdom would be one like Herrnhut, based on the 
Augsburg Confession. 

After a preliminary discussion at Amsterdam, in which 
both Promnitz and Zinzendorf took part, and which was 
marked by becoming moderation on both sides, the matter 
was brought before a synod held at Hirschberg, near Ebers- 
dorf, on the 1st of July 1743. The death of Frederick- 
William I. had raised great hopes in the minds of Zinzen- 
dorf s opponents. The opinions entertained on religious 
subjects by the new king, Frederick II., who was a friend 
of Voltaire, were well known, and it was confidently be- 
lieved that the Herrnhuttites would suffer as the result. 
But Frederick the Great was as much opposed to into- 
lerance as he was to religion, and accordingly maintained 
religious liberty throughout his dominions, and favoured 
persecuted sects even more than his predecessor. In pur- 
suance of this liberal policy, and in response to the applica- 
tion of the Brethren, he not only authorised them to settle 
in any part of his States, but gave them the fullest freedom 
of worship, permitted them to choose their own ministers, 
and took them under his immediate protection, so that they 



2-iO 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



were not responsible to any consistory, and were under no 
ecclesiastical control but that of their own bishops.* 

While the Brethren generally rejoiced in this pleasant 
state of affairs. Zinzendorf viewed it with uneasiness, and 
plainly stated his feelings in the synod. In the first place, 
he thought that the application made to the King ought 
not to have been presented in the name of the Moravian 
Church, for he considered that by this course the Brethren 
had renounced then right to be considered as members of 
the Lutheran and of the Beformed communions, — a right 
which they had hitherto justly guarded with jealous care ; 
and, secondly, he reminded the assembly that the house of 
Brandenburg had, for more than a hundred years, thrown 
its shield over the Church of the Brethren, Jablonski hav- 
ing been at once a Moravian bishop and the court preacher ; 
and therefore, he asked, why should they solicit as a favour 
a right which had never been denied them, and which was 
only Likely to be weakened in then effort to strengthen it ? 

After sitting for twelve days, the synod agreed to the 
Count's views, and he was deputed, with four other mem- 
bers, to treat with the Prussian Government as to the 
future position of the Church in Berlin and in Silesia. 

Immediately on his arrival in Berlin, he addressed the 
following letter, in French, to the King : — 

" Sire, — The united Chinches of Moravian Brethren 
cannot be too grateful for the great favour that your 
Majesty has shown them, but they have a strong objection 

* The King's letters patent, dated December 25, 1742, are to be found in 
the Biidingsche Sammlung, vol. iii. p. 122. 



THE COUNT'S IDEAS OF UNITY. 



241 



to the character of a new sect; for they have for many 
years enjoyed the privilege of belonging to the existing 
churches, and since the Keform they have not constituted 
any other distinct confession. The Lutherans among them 
hold their own views, and the Eeformed do the same. 
Where there are members of both confessions, they are 
governed by the majority; and where the numbers are 
pretty nearly equal, they live in fraternal union. 

" This is their universal condition before the eyes of all 
Europe. 

" Those who are jealous of them are endeavouring to 
deprive them of this high privilege, and would even make 
use of the gracious promises that your Majesty has be- 
stowed upon them, in order to separate them from the 
evangelical body in Germany, and to associate them with 
the tolerated sects, — a title which the Moravian churches 
have no desire to claim in Protestant countries. We are, 
therefore, trying to parry this blow ; and we venture to ask 
your Majesty's gracious permission to open our hearts to 
you, as to the means of doing it. 

" This shall be done with the clearness, precision, and 
respect due to so distinguished a sovereign, and will add a 
fresh obligation to all the others. — We are/' etc. 

What the Count wanted was a new inquiry, to prove 
the perfect harmony between the doctrinal faith of the 
Brethren and that of the Evangelical Church at large. 
His one answer to all complaints and all commendations 
alike was, Examine; and he persisted in urging this request. 
But the inquiry he challenged had been made long ago, 

Q 



242 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



and the Government had other matters on hand, and did 
not care to burden itself with a troublesome question of 
this kind. Frederick had no leanings to the Augsburg 
Confession, and he cared not whether the Moravians were 
orthodox or heretics ; all he wished was to protect liberty 
of conscience. Hence the Count's efforts were in vain. 
He failed to get the churches of the Brethren placed, as 
he desired, under the surveillance of a Lutheran consistory, 
and was compelled to accept the alternative of independence. 

Soon after this Zinzendorf was on his way to St Peters- 
burg, invested by the Church with full powers to act ac- 
cording to his own discretion as its representative. He 
had previously written to the authorities in Eiga and St 
Petersburg to refute the ridiculous and scandalous inter- 
pretations which had been put upon the Countess's visit to 
Russia, and now he was bent on laving the affairs of the 
Brethren before the Empress in a personal audience. On 
reaching Riga, December 23, he announced his arrival to 
Marshal Lascy, the governor of the province, and applied 
for a passport. The governor, instead of granting his re- 
quest, replied that he was not competent to give a passport 
to a man of his rank, and put the Count's messenger under 
arrest. Shortly afterwards Zinzendorf received a polite 
communication from the Marshal, saying that he could not 
send him a passport without consulting his Government, 
but requesting the Count to pass over to the other side of 
the Dwina that he might have the honour of paying his 
re 3pects to him there. Zinzendorf complied, and was con- 
ducted straight to the fortress, where he and his son, with 
the rest of his companions, were imprisoned. 



THE COUNT'S IDEAS OP UNITY. 



243 



He now wrote to the Empress, begging her, as the only 
favour he desired to ask, to inquire into the faith of the 
Brethren, and their conduct in the Russian states. He 
bore his imprisonment without a murmur, as is shown by 
a beautiful hymn that he composed on Christmas-eve, im- 
mediately after his arrest ; and his letter to the Countess, 
dated on that day, breathes the same cheerful spirit. 

" I entreat you not to be at all anxious about my im- 
prisonment. I can assure you I am quite well, and so is 
our dear son. This would not have happened if it had not 
been the Saviour's will ; for I had many warnings of what 
was going to happen, but I have not been permitted to 
turn them to account. On the contrary, I have had to 
furnish the occasion for my own seizure by my letters to 
the vice-chancellor and Count Lascy. Dispensations like 
this are designed for some end, and I am sure the Saviour 
will arrange all for the best. The Marshal has been very 
courteous to me, and he does not show any ill will. Think 
much about me. Here we are, a nice little band of pri- 
soners for the Saviour, and my little Christian is very 
pleased to share this adventure with his papa. Eemember 
that we have a faithful Saviour, that we are in His hands, 
and that He leads us in love, even when appearances con- 
found us, and when the way is not what we should have 
chosen had it depended upon us. There is nothing in the 
world less to my liking than arrests ; but as I am here, I 
accommodate myself to my circumstances. I can say no 
more than I have said at other times :— When I am away, 
do my part doubly. 

" Riga, Christmas-eve, 1743." 



£44 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



He also wrote to the Empress : — 

M I ain happy wherever the authority of the country 
I happen to be in places me, for, thank God, I have 
learned to submit from my heart to authority. In short, I 
am persuaded that the regular road, however rough, proves 
in the long rim better than cross-paths, however easy they 
may seem." 

He had not long to wait for an answer from St Peters- 
burg. The Government would not trouble itself with the 
matter, but preferred to cut it short by giving Zinzendorf 
notice to quit the states of the empire forthwith ; and on 
the 12th of January he was escorted by a detachment of 
soldiers to the Prussian frontier. 

After venturing to make a short visit to Herrnhut, — for 
though the decree of banishment was not yet revoked, he 
had reason to believe that it would not be so rigidly en- 
forced as at first, — he settled down at Marienborn, under 
the new title of Servant-Plenipotentiary (Yollmaechtiger 
Diener) of the Church, the various members of his family 
also holding important stations in the community, and the 
Countess retaining the domestic management in her hands. 

One of the first things that now engaged the attention of 
the Count was a synod that he convened to deli berate on a 
scheme of organisation which he had drawn up in order to 
secure a more complete realisation of what he considered 
true unity to be. His idea was, that while the members 
of the three principal bodies out of which the society had 
been formed, viz.. the Moravian, the Lutheran, and the 
Reformed Churches, thus united in one fraternity, yet the 
fullest scope should be given to the special religious tend- 



THE COUNT'S IDEAS OF UNITY. 



245 



encies of each, one of these churches ; and that in order to 
carry out this principle practically, such confession should 
be headed by its own bishop. 

The views of Zinzendorf , though not relished at first by 
the Brethren, were put in force. Two new bishops were 
elected — Frederick Watteville by the Keformed, and Gr. J. 
Conracl, superintendent-general of Schleswig-Holstein, by 
the Lutherans ; and thus the ancient appellation of United 
Brethren was completely justified. From this time Zin- 
zendorf became known as the Ordinarius Unitatis Fratrum, 
taking the name of Ordinary in the same sense as it is held 
by diocesan bishops, in distinction from those who are 
denominated titular or suffragan, and as indicating that 
his ecclesiastical authority was exercised in his own right, 
and not by virtue of delegation. 

Soon after the close of this synod, Zinzendorf went to 
Wetzlar, and informed Count Vermond, a member of the 
imperial chamber, of the intention he had announced in 
America to make a formal resignation of his title as 
Count. Vermond, however, strongly dissuaded him from 
this on account of the public injury that might be en- 
tailed, and especially the inextricable confusion that 
would be sure to result if others followed his example. 
Zinzendorf yielded to his representations, and there the 
matter dropped. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



PASSING CLOUDS. 

The period immediately succeeding the occurrences just 
narrated was eventful, both in the history of the man 
whose life we are sketching, and in that of the brotherhood 
with which he was so inseparably identified. Among the 
host of critics who attacked him and his associates, were 
two of Zinzendorfs most esteemed friends, the learned 
Bengel, and Weissman, both of whom wrote against him, — 
Bengel arguing, in his Bemarques sur la Pretendue Com- 
munaute des Freres, that the colonists at Herrnhut had 
no right to claim descent from the ancient Church of the 
Brethren, and that they based their theology on feeling 
instead of knowledge ; while Weissman, in his Histoire 
Fcclesiastique, (a work in other respects, according to Span- 
genberg, very valuable,) charged them with upsetting the 
constitution of the Lutheran Church. It was in reply to 
these accusations, that Zinzendorf published his work, on 
The Present State of the Kingdom of the Cross of Jesus* 
etc., without, however, mentioning either his opponents or 
their writings ; and his Reflexions Naturelles, to which we 
have already referred, was composed with the same view. 

* Die gegenwcertige Gestalt des Kreuzreichs Jesu in seiner Unschuld, 
dasist, verschiedene deutliche Wahrheiten denen unziehligen Unwahrheiten 
gegen eine bekannte evangelische Gemeinde entgegen, etc. 



PASSING CLOUDS. 



247 



Although Zinzendorf successfully refuted many of the 
incorrect reports that had been circulated respecting him 
and his friends, it must be confessed that there were cer- 
tain eccentricities about him at this time, which afforded 
fair ground for animadversion. Spangenberg states that 
while still attending to his daily work, he not only with- 
drew himself from general society, but had as little com- 
munication as possible, even with his habitual fellow- 
labourers, and, giving himself up to deep and silent 
meditation before God, on all the various matters that 
he had to do with, gradually became almost a recluse. 
Although he seems to have derived great spiritual refresh- 
ment from these exercises, an unhealthy state of mind 
soon supervened ; his imagination was naturally too strong 
to be kept in check without the influence of the social 
atmosphere ; and hence we find him departing from the 
rule he himself had laid down, of strict adherence to the 
teaching of Scripture, and attaching undue importance to 
ideas of his own. In the synod at Marienborn, above 
referred to, he proposed, as a subject for consideration, the 
question whether the Holy Spirit should not be regarded 
as the mother of the faithful, in the same way as God the 
Father is their Father in Christ, and Christ the Husband 
of the Church ; because the offices of a mother, such as 
instruction, warning, correction, comfort, and guidance, 
are ascribed to the Holy Spirit in Scripture. 

The Synod sympathised with the Count's views, although 
the theologians were indignant at the introduction of the 
idea of maternity into that of the Trinity. But the Count 
himself subsequently acknowledged his error, in thus 



248 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



prying into unrevealed mysteries, and publicly stated that 
expressions of this kind must be expunged from his writ- 
ings, and must never be repeated ; adding, that he hated all 
speculation, however good the motive, that sought to pene- 
trate into the deep things of God ; and that he thanked the 
Saviour for snatching him from the fire before he was 
consumed. 

Zinzendorf s paradoxical mode of speaking also put a 
weapon into the hands of his antagonists. He had recom- 
mended this in the second synod held in Pennsylvania, as 
an advantageous way of presenting the truth, and he him- 
self made free use of it. " If," says Spangenberg, " those 
who differed from him had taken the trouble to consider 
what he meant by such and such an expression, it would 
have been all very well. But they did not do this, and 
hence arose many disputes about words." 

Most of the preachers of that age were in the habit of 
scrupulously guarding Scripture, and they would often 
balance one passage by means of others which they 
considered adapted to neutralise any false impressions. 
According to Spangenberg, Zinzendorf s plan was the very 
reverse of this. He was generally so completely absorbed 
in his subject, and the views he propounded stood out to 
his own mind in such intense clearness, that everything 
else was for the time eclipsed. It is true that what was 
left in the shade one day came to the foreground the next, 
and his habitual hearers had no difficulty in harmonising 
all the effects, and putting everything in its place. But 
those who only heard a single discourse found too much in 
it, or too little. 



PASSING CLOUDS. 



249 



The followers of Zinzendorf went far beyond their 
master, and were so enamoured of the paradox, that they 
created a kind of poetico-theological jargon, which was 
only understood by the initiated, and which, being made 
the vehicle of an exaggerated and mistaken effort to speak 
in a tone of Christian simplicity and spiritual joy, proved 
even more opposed to the seriousness and dignity that 
marks the true Christian than the morose pietism of 
Spener. 

It would not be right to charge all this upon Zinzendorf. 
It was but one of the symptoms of a tendency which has 
often been observed to follow revivals of religion. Some- 
times, when the soul has recovered from the agonies of 
conversion, it knows not how to contain itself, and, in the 
rapturous consciousness of its new liberty, ventures upon 
perilous ground. The weakness and folly displayed in the 
scenic representations that became the fashion, especially 
at Herrnhaag, from the years 1744 to 1749, were truly 
lamentable. Even the sufferings, death, and resurrection 
of Jesus were dramatised, and a large illuminative image 
was exhibited, which suddenly vanished, leaving nothing 
visible but the pierced side, that formed a door for those 
present to pass through. 

These vagaries, although showing how good and en- 
lightened men may be led aside, appear to have been 
harmless so far as the moral conduct of the Brethren was 
concerned; and thus proved the solidity of the basis on 
which their Christian life was founded. 

The Count was for a long time blind to these indications 
of unsoundness in the spiritual state of the community, 



250 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



although, even in their earlier stages, they had not escaped 
the discerning eye of John Wesley, and he had warned the 
leaders at Herrnhut against them. But when the evil at 
length forced itself upon his attention, he immediately took 
steps to repress it. On hearing that the birthday of his 
son, Christian Bene, had been celebrated with unusual 
ostentation, he had written to express his deep regret, and 
to warn his friends against the injurious influences con- 
nected with exhibitions of that kind ; and he now wrote a 
letter in a severer tone than before, addressed to all the 
communities. His son, who had been carried away with 
the rest, did not escape a sharp rebuke. He was deprived 
of his appointment at Herrnhaag, and ordered to join his 
father in London ; and David Nitschmann was sent forth 
on a visit of inspection to all the churches in Germany. 

Happily the spell was soon broken, and the Brethren 
came out of the temptation humbler, and, in the end, 
stronger than before. 

Baron Schrautenbach, himself a member of the same 
body, thinks that these aberrations may have arisen partly 
from a misunderstanding of Zinzendorf s sentiments with 
regard to Christian simplicity as opposed to everything 
formal and constrained, the importance of which he fre- 
quently urged both in public and in private ; and partly 
from the natural influence of continued opposition, as tend- 
ing to foster peculiarity, by driving its victims into exclusive 
association with one another, and rendering them defiant 
of public opinion. The following, however, are Zinzen- 
dorf s own observations on the subject, written after the 
crisis was past : — 



PASSING CLOUDS. 



251 



" The test we have gone through has been brief but 
fearful. I probably occasioned it by giving utterance to 
an idea which I have never been able to lay aside, and 
which I still hold, — namely, that in order to enjoy all the 
blessings purchased for us by the death of Jesus, we must 
become children in the bottom of our hearts. I have been 
powerfully impressed by this idea, and when I came back 
from America I sought to inculcate it on my brethren. It 
found acceptance, and was immediately carried into effect. 
But what was at first a small circle of men, who really had 
the spirit of children, soon grew into a large society, and 
in a few years greatly degenerated. The abuse has arisen 
from the desire to appropriate the joyousness of childhood 
without its simplicity, sincerity, and obedience/' 

Contemporaneously with these unhappy circumstances, 
other and graver signs that the tares were growing with 
the wheat began to manifest themselves. Herrnhaag had 
attained dimensions which awakened alarm in the mind of 
the Count, and he had vainly endeavoured to retard its 
growth. The consequence was, that persons had obtained 
admission to its privileges whose character was not all that 
could be desired ; and, in the absence of those statutes 
which could always be appealed to at Herrnhut, certain 
inconsistencies had come to be tolerated. Zinzendorf, how- 
ever, did not interfere, as it was not his aim to enforce a 
merely external morality, but rather to secure rectitude of 
life by a change of heart. " However bad any one is," he 
said, " I would rather see him as he is than under a mask." 
And perhaps he was the more careful not to use any autho- 
rity on this occasion, lest he should lay himself open to the 



252 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



charge that was constantly made against him, of assuming 
the character of a pope, and placing on the neck of the 
Brethren a yoke which he himself was unwilling to 
bear. 

At the same juncture, also, external dangers began to 
indicate themselves, which threatened the very existence of 
the chief communities in Germany. Frederick the Great 
had just invaded the states of the Elector of Saxony ; and 
but for Frederick's protection, Herrnhut must have fallen 
a prey to the ravages of war. Marienborn, too, narrowly 
escaped from becoming a field of battle ; the French troops 
on one side, and the Austrians and the English on the 
other, occupied encampments for a considerable time in 
the neighbourhood, and were daily expecting to face each 
other in mortal conflict. But, contrary to all that had 
been predicted, they retired without coming to any action. 
Nor was this all. A number of officers attended the 
meetings at Herrnhut, and lost the prejudices they had 
entertained against the Brethren. The generals expressly 
ordered that the inhabitants of Herrnhut should be re- 
spected as a religious community ; and thus the hand of 
God averted the Calamities that seemed inevitable. 

A familiar anecdote, told by Bernardine de Saint Pierre, 
in his Etudes de la Nature, although belonging to a war 
which took place a little later, shows how it was that the 
members of these communities obtained the respect that 
was shown them. 

" In the last war with Germany," he says, <: a detach- 
ment of cavalry having been sent on a foraging expedition, 
came upon a sequestered valley, where they found a solitary 



PASSING CLOUDS. 



253 



hut, surrounded by thick woods. An old man with a silvery 
beard came to the door, and the officer asked him to show 
them where they could find some corn. " Certainly," said 
the old man, who had come from Herrnhut, and he at once 
led them to the head of the valley, where they soon came 
to a fine field of barley. " This is just the thing/' said the 
officer. " Wait a minute," was the reply, " and you will 
have all you want." So saying, their guide conducted 
them a short distance farther, and the soldiers dismounted, 
and began cutting. " The first field was better than this," 
the officer remarked. " Yes," answered the old man, " but 
that was not mine." If this poor cottager may be taken as 
a sample of the morality upheld among the United Brethren 
generally, the following illustration of the favourable regard 
in which they were held by the British Government is not 
surprising : — 

The war between England and France respecting the 
imperial rights of the Archduchess Maria Theresa in Aus- 
tria exposed the Moravian communities to many disadvan- 
tages, both in Great Britain and in the colonies, it having 
been rumoured that their missionaries were papists in dis- 
guise, pretending to convert the Indians, but really seeking 
to alienate them from England, and to gain them for 
France. The governor of New York published an edict, 
forbidding the missionaries to live among the Indians, and 
required them to declare on oath that King George was 
the only rightful sovereign of England. Many of the 
Brethren, partly out of attachment to the ancient rule of 
the Moravian Church which prohibited swearing, and partly 
out of consideration for the views of the Quakers and the 



254 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Mennonites. refused to take trie oath, and were consequently 
imprisoned. The edict was soon afterwards revoked ; but 
the Count, fearing that the Brethren might be subject to a 
recurrence of these oppressive acts, exerted himself to get 
the matter taken up in the British Parliament ; and his 
efforts were so successful, that, in the year 1747, a bill was 
passed expressly exempting them from the oath in question, 
and speaking of them as a sober, quiet, and industrious 
people. 

Early in that year, Zinzendorf left Marienborn, and took 
up his quarters in the house he had built at Herrnhaag. 
Disagreements had long been existing between the colony 
in that district and Count Ysemburg-Biidingen, on whose 
territories it was planted, and who was so jealous of its 
increasing prosperity that he not only tried to deprive its 
members of their guaranteed rights, but sought to impose 
on them burdens which had not been bargained for. The 
colonists naturally resisted this unfair treatment, and Count 
Biidingen applied to Zinzendorf to act as arbitrator. Zin- 
zendorf did his best ; but both parties being equally de- 
termined not to give way, it was only with the utmost 
difficulty that he succeeded in bringing them to a pro- 
visional arrangement, which was to continue in force for 
five years. But the death of Count Biidingen in 1749 set 
all these plans aside. His son. a weak and prejudiced man, 
being easily persuaded that the Brethren wanted to usurp 
rights which did not belong to them, and that, if he did 
not take steps to prevent it, Zinzendorf would supplant 
him as the lord of the country, determined to get rid of 
his rival ; and, with this object, ordered the inhabitants of 



PASSING CLOUDS. 



255 



Herrnhaag to take an oath of allegiance to himself as their 
only ruler, and to disavow all submission to their own au- 
thorities, especially to Zinzendorf. Those who refused to 
comply were to quit the country ; but as the temporary 
arrangement of 1747 was unexpired, three years were 
allowed them for the process of emigration. This un- 
paralleled piece of despotism was unanimously resisted by 
the inhabitants of Herrnhaag, as directly opposed to the 
original contract by virtue of which they had settled in the 
dominions of Count Biidingen. Zinzendorf being consulted, 
wrote from London, advising them to " suffer in silence 
and in the course of three days, after a fruitless effort to 
bring the Government to terms, ninety exiles were on their 
way to Pennsylvania, and others followed to Saxony, Silesia, 
Holland, and England, the educational establishments being 
transferred to Lusatia. 

Count Biidingen soon repented of his rashness in thus 
depopulating his own states. His subjects, who severely 
felt the consequences, made loud complaints ; and he him- 
self went so far as to use his personal influence with those 
who yet remained to induce them to stay. But, in spite of 
the flattering promises that he now addressed to them, half 
of the nine hundred and seventy-three colonists at Herrn- 
haag left within a year ; and before the time he had fixed 
for their departure, the whole community was gone. 

The Countess of Zinzendorf was at Herrnhaag, with her 
son-in-law, when this persecution began, but left soon after- 
wards for London to inform her husband of what was pass- 
ing. He was deeply grieved at first, but immediately set 
to work for the relief of the emigrants ; and in writing on 



256 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



the subject in the year 1750, he says : — " I shall always 
class this event among the special favours shown to us. . . . 
I do not speak of all those useful brethren and sisters who 
were trained there for the service of Christ ; but was it not 
there also that those unknown faults and hidden dangers, 
which have driven us to repentance, came to light ; and 
thus, while exercising a testing influence on all the com- 
munities, more fully revealed to us our own hearts ? " 



CHAPTER XXV. 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 

While the storm had gathered over Herrnhaag, the sky 
was bright in Lusatia. Zinzendorf had always had a 
presentiment that his banishment would last for ten years, 
and he had often mentioned this to his friends. But the 
ten years had rolled away, and the royal mandate was 
unrevoked. He therefore dismissed the matter from his 
thoughts; and when the beautiful estate of Hennersdorf, 
which belonged to his grandmother, and where he had 
passed his childhood, was offered him, he refused at first 
to buy it, and afterwards secured it for his daughter 
Benigna. 

The Court of Saxony had forgotten Zinzendorf ; but this 
incidental circumstance brought him to mind. It so 
happened that the King, having recently been in the 
neighbourhood of Herrnhut, had observed its prosperous 
appearance; and now it became a subject of general interest. 
Much was said about the peaceable character of its inhabi- 
tants, and the high credit the Moravian communities in 
general enjoyed with the wealthiest houses in London and 
Amsterdam ; and it became a question, whether it was not a 
matter of injustice to continue the banishment of the Count. 
In short, the King wrote to Zinzendorf, telling him that 



258 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



he might return to Saxony, on condition that he would 
negotiate with his friends in Holland for a loan to the 
Electoral Government. Zinzendorf lost no time in giving 
this fresh proof of loyal attachment to his sovereign ; and 
he arranged with one of the Brethren, named Beuning, for 
a loan of 150,000 florins. This prompt assistance to the 
royal treasury produced a highly favourable impression on 
the Court, and the Count was immediately informed that 
the King would be glad to see a number of establishments 
like that at Herrnhut rising up in his dominions. As an 
instalment of this, Zinzendorf was induced to found one at 
the Castle of Barby, which was given him in security for 
the sum borrowed by the King. 

Zinzendorf repaired at once to Saxony, but only paid a 
passing visit to Herrnhut and Hennersdorf , as he thought 
it best not to settle down again, till his position had been 
regularly defined; and he was anxious that before the 
decree of banishment was officially revoked, he and the 
Brethren should undergo a strict examination. He urged 
this afterwards on the minister ; but he was too late, as the 
revocation had already been sealed. Acting, therefore, on 
the minister's advice, he resumed his work at Herrnhut, as 
if nothing had transpired to interrupt it, but without any 
fixed plan for the future. 

The investigation he asked for did not take place till 
the following year, and then it was instituted in conse- 
quence of his own repeated applications, and after much 
hesitation on the part of the Government. The matter 
had been gone into eleven years before, and it was thought 
unnecessary to re-open it. At length, however, the com- 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



259 



mission met at the Castle of Hennersdorf, in July 1748, 
eleven of the Brethren being appointed by the Moravian 
Bishops to represent them. Zinzendorf did his best to 
keep in the background; but his friends pushed him for- 
ward, and he became the life and soul of the proceedings. 

The Commissioners expressed themselves as satisfied 
with the answers of the Brethren, and with the sermons 
they heard from Zinzendorf ; and they intimated that they 
were prepared to state, as their verdict, that they saw no 
reason why the Government should not afford the Mora- 
vians its protection. This was all the Count wanted. 
He claimed a formal and explicit recognition of the en- 
tire conformity of the Moravian faith and institutions to 
the Augsburg Confession. But the Commissioners, while 
acknowledging as their private opinion what the Count 
wished them publicly to certify, considered that this did 
not come within the range of the inquiry they were ordered 
to make. The result, however, was a decided triumph 
for the Brethren ; and Teller, a Professor of Theology at 
Leipsic, who had formerly written against them, now 
became one of their warmest friends. " No one," he said, 
after the business was over, " will believe us, when we go 
home and report what we have seen here/' Another of 
the Commissioners, Dr Hermann, an ecclesiastical coun- 
cillor, and the first court-preacher in Saxony, even accepted 
the office of President of the Lutheran Trope* of the 
Unity, which the Count had filled up to that time. 

* The word Trope, meaning Mode or Fashion, was used to indicate that 
the members of the three churches — the Lutheran, Reformed, Mora- 
vian — within the Unity, carried out the usages of their own respective 
churches. 



260 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The Count was now satisfied as to Herrnhut, and medi- 
tated a resumption of the labours he had recently broken 
off in the Wetterau. But the resolution of the Senate of 
England, in 1747, had failed to render the position of the 
Brethren in the British dominions as secure as Zinzendorf 
wished to see it ; and he thought it necessary, in the first 
place, to take up the work he had left unfinished in 
London. The opposition so long sustained against the 
Brethren, in the different States of Germany, was just 
beginning to act upon public opinion in England. They 
were too conservative to please Dissenters ; and the Epis- 
copal Clergy, not having seen much of them, confounded 
them with the Methodists. They were, in general, un- 
known or misunderstood; and people were too ready to 
listen to the unfavourable reports that floated over from 
the Continent. 

The first news that met Zinzendorf, as he landed at 
Harwich, on the 1st of January 1749, was, that an edict 
had just been issued against the Brethren by the Govern- 
ment of Hanover. Although no cause could be assigned 
for this, and indeed there was no means of putting it in 
force, for not a single member of that body existed in that 
country, it made a considerable sensation both in England 
and in France, and offered a precedent to the British Govern- 
ment. Zinzendorf immediately wrote to King George II., 
to point out the injustice of this decree, and got a petition 
presented to the House of Commons, praying for a formal 
recognition of the community of the Brethren. The peti- 
tion was referred to a committee of forty members, who, 
after examining the documents furnished by the Count, 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



261 



and questioning the delegates, presented a favourable 
report. The petition having then been remitted in the 
form of a bill, to a new committee of seventy members, 
was unanimously adopted. 

But it remained a question whether the same success 
would attend it in the Lords. The Bishop of London, the 
Lord Chancellor, and several other influential members, 
had opposed it at the outset, and it was feared that their 
example would tell powerfully against it.. But Zinzendorf 
was not discouraged. He addressed to them explanatory 
letters; and after consenting to some emendations, had the 
satisfaction of seeing the measure adopted by the unani- 
mous consent of the Upper House. 

This Act of Parliament secured two advantages, — 
L The antiquity of the Unitas Fratrum, and its 
character as an Evangelical and Episcopal Church were 
recognised. 

2. The members of this society were freed from the 
obligation to take oaths, or to sit on a jury, and they were 
exempted from military service. 

But what most pleased the Count, was the serious atten- 
tion given to the whole matter. The petition was discussed 
no less than eighteen times; and several distinguished 
personages, among whom was the Prince of Wales, took 
a deep interest in it. " But/' says Spangenberg, " what- 
ever importance he attached to all this, he repeatedly 
warned the Brethren against thinking too much of their 
success ; and urged them to maintain a childlike confidence 
in the Saviour, on whose support and protection alone they 
could always depend.'' 



262 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The effect of this measure was soon felt ; letters poured 
in from all directions in England, Scotland, Ireland, and 
the American Colonies, inviting the Moravians to found 
establishments ; and, on the death of Kochius, during the 
same year, the venerable Wilson, Bishop of Sodor and 
3Ian, readily accepted the title and office of President of 
the Reformed Trope of the Unity. 

Immediately after these events, the affairs of the Unity 
called the Coimt for a short time to the Continent, where 
he announced to all the Brethren his fixed purpose to 
devote himself in future solely to the special duties of the 
ministry ; and he then took up his abode for the next four 
years in England. During this continental visitation, he 
had been called upon to give his opinion, in a synod held 
at Barby, as to the best way of dealing with the incessant 
attacks which the theologians of Germany continued to 
make upon the Brethren. These assaults did not alarm 
Zinzendorf ; and he would have counselled silence, his own 
experience in apologetic controversy having disposed him 
strongly to question its utility. But as there was a general 
desire to take some active steps in the matter, and Spangen- 
berg had been appointed to collate the various objections 
published against the society, and to answer them, Zinzen- 
dorf so far yielded to the wishes of others as to furnish 
him with some valuable notes, — accompanied, however, by 
a letter, in which he stated his views on the question of 
replying at all, which he requested Spangenberg to insert 
in his book after the Preface. 

Spangenberg subsequently published two works, the one 
containing answers to more than three hundred, and the 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



263 



other to upwards of a thousand accusations. It would be 
useless to follow the author of these volumes through this 
weary argumentation. But there was one point, on which 
Zinzendorf differed from the orthodox divines, that deserves 
to be noted. Spangenberg refers to it as follows : — 

"It is well known that the Count, in speaking of the 
Bible, often expressed himself in a way that seemed strange 
to the orthodox theologians of that age. So far from enter- 
ing the lists, as they did, against every one who objected 
to the Bible because of its style, chronology, and matters 
of that sort, he used terms in reference to the manner in 
which the biblical authors wrote that exposed him to severe 
criticism. The fact was, that, looking at the great diffi- 
culties which many passages present, he thought it far 
better to acknowledge these difficulties than to rest upon 
absurd, or even insufficient, interpretations ; and he con- 
sidered that, when arguments that are wanting, or seem to 
be wanting, in sincerity, are used in defence of religion, 
those who occupy the opposite ground are driven to think 
lightly of all other lines of reasoning that may be adopted." 

" I do not admit," said Zinzendorf himself, " that I have 
found, as I am said to have done, defects, contradictions, 
etc., in Scripture. It only amounts to this, that I am 
modest and timid enough to believe that our little com- 
munities ought also to be timid, modest, and reserved ; and 
that they should not have the presumption to stand up 
against everybody for the clearness of Scripture, the fault- 
less connexion and perfect exactitude of all the expressions, 
all the histories, &c. If we deal in sophisms and theological 
babbling, and go to war on behalf of the Bible, we are lost, 



264 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



and our community will lose every vestige of apostolic 

power." 

" The Count, however," says Spangenberg, " deeply re- 
gretted not having taken more pains to defend certain 
passages against infidel objections, and to prevent the 
pernicious influences that many minds, even among the 
Brethren, might be expected to imbibe from this source. 
He felt that, on this account, he well deserved to have so 
many parts of his own writings misinterpreted." 

Having paid rapid visits to Barby, Herrnhut, Niesky, (a 
colony founded in 1742 by Bohemian emigrants,) Gnaden- 
berg, Ebersclorf, and Montmirail, and strengthened his 
friends in all those places by his earnest words, Zinzendorf 
returned to London, adopted for himself the title of Dis- 
ciple, which afterwards became the ordinary designation of 
the Brethren generally ; and having announced his inten- 
tion to consecrate all his energies to the work of preaching 
and the cure of souls, begged his associates to release him 
from all other duties for a few months, and to act as if 
he were absent, that he might hold undisturbed com- 
munion with the Saviour, and review the whole of his 
labours during the past thirty years. His wish was com- 
plied with as far as possible, although cases frequently 
occurred in which his counsel could not be dispensed with. 

It must not be supposed, however, that he passed his 
tune inactively. It was simply that he sought freedom 
from the embarrassments of administrative office, in order 
to pursue his more purely spiritual work with greater con- 
centration and effect. He was most careful in the use of 
his time. He had a regular plan of labour drawn out, 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



265 



which he frequently read over, and in which every hour for 
several months in advance was specially appropriated; and 
when any unforeseen circumstance threw out his arrange- 
ments, he sometimes stole a large portion of the night to 
make up for lost time. Several of these plans, with nu- 
merous annotations, were discovered after his death. His 
solitude did not always conduce to their practical success, 
his imagination often carrying him away from the imme- 
diate matter in hand ; so that he did not complete what he 
had begun, as in the case of the Enchiridion, or Manual of 
Holy Scripture, intended to be a digest of the entire Bible, 
but going no farther than the book of Exodus. 

But it was now that Zinzendorf realised for a while the 
fond idea he had so long cherished, and gave his whole 
soul to the proclamation of the gospel. He had daily 
assemblies in his house, which was thrown open to all 
comers ; and though the meetings were sometimes pro- 
tracted, he introduced as much variety as possible, by 
having frequent interchanges of singing and prayer, and 
never preaching more than a quarter of an hour. 

It need hardly be said, after what the reader has learned 
of Zinzendorf s ministry, that the sum and substance of 
every discourse was " Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." 

" I beseech you," he said, on one occasion, (and these 
few sentences may be taken as an epitome of all his public 
teaching,) " to run to Him who is the only subject of all 
our preaching, singing, and conversation ; I beseech you to 
give your heart, mind, and will —in short, your whole be- 
ing, unreservedly to Him. You will then come to know a 
greater happiness than can be told in words, — greater, far 



266 



THE BANISHED OOUKT. 



greater, than I can describe to you. although I have for 
some time experienced it myself. This happiness is in its 
nature eternal. We shall not lose it with our mortal exist- 
ence, but it will accompany us, and remain with us, till we 
appear before our Saviour ; and it will only increase through 
all eternity/'' 

The season of relief from temporal harassments, thus 
happily employed, was not of long duration. Zinzendorf s 
residence was soon besieged by Brethren from Holland and 
Germany, as well as by missionaries from America, or 
others on the point of embarking for that country ; and we 
find him engaged in successive transactions with the Bishops 
of London, Lincoln, and Worcester, Lord Chesterfield, the 
Duke of Argyle, and with Lord Granville, of whom he pur- 
chased a hundred thousand acres of land in Xorth Carolina 
for a colony. 

A synod that met in London in 1750, had modified the 
office of the diaconate or department of finances, and had 
appointed Zinzendorf to nominate deacons, and to super- 
intend their action; for, as Spangenberg informs us, al- 
though he was not apt at financial economy, he had always 
been the first to venture his fortune, and that of his family, 
in the cause ; and his brethren seem to have considered him, 
on account of his many other qualifications, the fittest man 
for the post. He himself would have been glad to vacate 
it ; but he did not see his way clear to such a step. As it 
was, he did his best to provide the vast resources that now 
became requisite, in this period of development and exten- 
sion, to carry on the constantly-increasing agencies at home 
and abroad. But, when this office was devolved on him, 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



267 



the pecuniary affairs of the society were greatly involved, 
and he found it impossible to prevent the accumulation of 
an immense deficit. The deacons were at length obliged 
to have recourse to a new loan ; and as nobody would 
advance anything except on condition that Zinzendorf 
became personally responsible, he took this liability en- 
tirely on himself. 

While these cares were pressing upon the Count, a deep 
grief was appointed for him. His only remaining son, 
Christian Bene, died on the 28th of May 1752, twenty- 
four years of age. 

This amiable young man had been for two years his 
father's most active assistant and secretary ; and in addi- 
tion to this had devoted himself with exemplary zeal to 
the interest of the different choirs of unmarried Brethren. 
It might have been expected that the active life he thus 
led, and his entire consecration to the service of Christ, 
would have tended to banish the remembrance of those 
inconsistencies into which he and others had been drawn 
at Herrnhaag, and which might fairly have been regarded 
as the effervescence of his youthful piety. But he looked 
upon them as the bitter fruit of sin, and could never 
forgive himself. His natural cheerfulness and vivacity 
passed away; and a melancholy seriousness followed, which 
undermined his health, and probably initiated the first 
stages of consumption. His father did not perceive the 
extent of the danger, and was not with him at the time 
of his death. His mother, on hearing of his illness, im- 
mediately left Herrnhut, in the hope of seeing him once 
more ; but she was too late. She received the tidings of 



268 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



his departure before she could sail from Holland ; and 
when she reached the shores of England, it was as a fellow- 
mourner with her sorrowing hnsband. The Countess did 
not remain long in England, the affairs of Herrnhut re- 
quiring her presence there ; for during the absence of 
Zinzendorf , she had become quite- the mainstay of that 
community. 

An unforeseen circumstance at this moment precipitated 
the pecuniary crisis, which, in spite of all the Count's 
efforts, had for some time threatened the Brotherhood. 
Some merchants, who were members of the Church, and 
had formerly lent considerable sums to the deacons, were 
suddenly plunged into difficulties by a fraudulent bank- 
ruptcy, and were compelled to withdraw the amounts they 
had advanced. This brought on a panic among the credi- 
tors of the community, who all poured in their accounts 
and demanded payment. 

The deacons were on the point of announcing their 
insolvency ; and it seemed as if the time had arrived for 
the enemies of this society to triumph over its downfall. 
Public opinion, too, began to form against it, the English 
journals filled then columns with attacks upon the Mora- 
vians, and there was reason to fear that a London mob 
might finish the work of destruction. 

Zinzendorf could not consider that he deserved the 
blame of all this, for though he had nominated the dea- 
cons, and was invested with authority to direct their move- 
ments, being little versed himself in matters of that kind, 
and thoroughly confiding in their prudence and skill, he 
had for a long time left the details of this department in 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



269 



their hands. But he felt that if he had exercised more 
active vigilance from the first, the calamity might have 
been prevented ; and he therefore reproached himself for 
his neglect. 

Although he had large responsibilities resting upon him, 
he wrote to all the creditors of the deacons, offering to 
make himself answerable for the entire debt, and to re- 
imburse it by instalments, meantime paying them interest. 
Almost all the claimants accepted these terms, and some 
of them who refused to do so out of ill-will to the Brethren, 
were immediately paid off by the rest. Thus the danger 
was averted ; but it entailed a heavy load on Zinzendorf , 
and instead of being able to give himself to the sole work 
of the gospel ministry, his faculties were continually on the 
stretch to find money for the wants of the day. One day 
he was expecting to be arrested for debt, through the non- 
arrival of a sum that he had reckoned upon for a payment 
that was due ; and he had actually made preparations for 
going to prison, when the post came in sooner than usual, 
and brought him exactly the amount that he wanted. 

"During this year of trouble," says Verbeek, "the 
Count experienced many signal instances of Divine aid. 
As his difficulties increased, he gained more confidence in 
Jesus, and looked more simply to Him. He regarded this 
financial struggle as a chastisement which the Lord had 
seen fit to inflict on the Brethren, and he thought that it 
would be wrong to desire the cessation of the trial till it 
had accomplished its end. It was his opinion that two 
principal errors had been fallen into, — one was, that those 
habits of economy which were followed at first had been 



270 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



departed from; and the other, that there had been too 
much delay in the work of financial reform. He deemed 
himself more guilty than any one else, on these two heads ; 
he confessed that he had been very remiss in not setting 
to work energetically at the outset to remedy the evil ; and 
he went so far as to address all the communities on the 
subject, and to request that they would deprive him of all 
his offices. The reply he received was, that he could not 
possibly be spared." 

The Christian finds joy in adversity as well as in 
prosperity. To look upon the invisible God as a Father 
who is concerned for our good, to see His hand, and to 
see Him extend it over us, whether to bless or to correct 
us, is like heavenly food to the soul that lives by faith, and 
there is no earthly happiness to be compared with it. 

It was so with Zinzendorf. "It is true," he said, in a 
discourse preached in July 1753, " the sun has burnt me 
this year. But my heart is not like a sea tossed with the 
tempest ; it is quite calm and tranquil ; and, although I 
have been humbled, and it becomes me to speak in a lower 
tone, still I can say, I am happy, and considering every- 
thing, I think I never was happier." 

We cannot follow Zinzendorf through all his unremitting 
labours during the two years of his further residence in 
England. A severe illness in the early part of 1754, 
a visit from the Countess in the course of that year, and 
two important synods, form the chief external events of 
this portion of his life. In one of these synods, John 
Gambold received episcopal consecration, and was appointed 
Bishop of the community in London. 



THE FOCUS IN LONDON. 



271 



Lindsay House, where the Count had recently taken up 
his abode, and which he had adapted to his purpose, was 
the constant resort of missionaries and others connected 
with the Church, and became the centre of the community. 
It contained a vast number of rooms, with large halls for 
meetings ; and a printing establishment, a chapel, and a 
cemetery were connected with it. But Zinzendorf was not 
permitted long to enjoy it. His presence being needed in 
Holland and in Germany, he appointed John Watteville 
to take the general superintendence of the communities in 
England and Ireland, with thirty other workers to assist 
him ; and having addressed a pastoral letter to his friends 
in England, under the title of Statutes, or the General 
Principles of Practical Christianity, and published also, 
in compliance with the wish expressed by a large number 
of individuals, a fresh refutation of the charges brought 
against the society in England, he left London on the 
24th of March 1755. In 1756 the sermons he had 
preached there, from 1751 to 1755, were collected and 
printed in two volumes, forming a kind of sequel to his 
Discourses in Berlin. 

Within a few months after he quitted the shores of 
England, never to see them again, Zinzendorf lost the 
beloved companion whom he had just rejoined at Herrnhut. 
She had long been feeling the effects of her arduous and 
anxious life, and she had never recovered the blow she 
received on the death of her son Kene. Ever since that 
event her spirits had declined, and her natural energy had 
left her. She became gradually weaker, though there was 
no appearance of actual disease, and she sank to rest on the 



272 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



19th of June 1756, at the age of fifty-three. Her death 
was an incalculable loss to the community as well as to 
her husband. The words adapted by the Count from the 
Apocrypha to be used in the funeral service at Henners- 
dorf , formed a fitting epilogue on her life — 

" The Lord hath wrought great glory by her. She 
gave counsel by her understanding, and declared prophecies. 
She led the people by her counsels ; and by her knowledge 
of learning meet for the people, was wise and eloquent in 
her instructions. 

" With her seed shall continually remain a good inherit- 
ance, and her children are within the covenant. Her 
seed standeth fast, and her children for her sake. Her 
seed shall remain for ever, and her glory shall not be 
blotted out. The people will tell of her wisdom, and 
the congregation will show forth her praise." — Ecclesias- 
ticus xliv. 2-5, and 11-15. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



THE EVENING. 

War was now raging on both sides of the Atlantic, and 
threatened to sweep away the most flourishing establish- 
ments of the Brethren, both in Europe and in America. 
While France was defending the frontiers of Canada as 
they had been fixed in the treaty of Utrecht, Frederick 
the Great was engaged in a heroic struggle with Austria, 
Saxony, France, Sweden, and Russia. This famous contest, 
known as the Seven Years War, commenced with the 
invasion of Saxony by Prussia. Herrnhut was so situated 
that it formed a thoroughfare for troops, and was taxed to the 
utmost to supply the wants of the regiments as they passed 
through it. But the Saviour watched over it, and preserved 
it in a remarkable manner. On the very day that the 
Prussian soldiery entered the Saxon Kingdom, the 
Word of command read in the Moravian communities, 
from their book of Texts, for that day, was the passage 
Luke xxi. 9 : But when ye shall hear of wars and 
commotions, he not terrified ; and these words were a 
source of continual comfort and encouragement. 

The following is the sketch given by Zinzendorf, in a 
letter to Spangenberg, of what transpired during the years 
1756 and 1757:— 

s 



274 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



" Saxony has been invaded. The whole country, in- 
cluding Upper Lusatia, has fallen into the hands of the 
King of Prussia, in a single month. Though Herrnhut 
was the head-quarters of a whole army for two months, no 
soldiers were billeted upon the inhabitants. During the 
six months that we had them in our neighbourhood, we 
were protected by the Prince of Prussia, the Duke of 
Bavaria, and a host of other distinguished personages, all 
of whom were disabused of the prejudices they had imbibed 
from the writings of our antagonists. Although troops 
were levied from every other locality, Herrnhut was passed 
by, and Berthelsdorf has escaped by means of a subsidy of 
money. ... In the midst of all these troubles the 
community has accomplished the erection of its new 
church. The foundation-stone was laid on the 12th of May 

1756, and the dedication took place on the 13th of August 

1757, on which day thirteen hundred Brethren and Sisters 
partook of the Holy Supper. . . . One Sunday we 
gave out 2000 pounds of bread to the Austrians, and we 
kept the Prussian rear-guard from first to last. The 
Austrian and the Prussian sutlers met at Berthelsdorf 
without saying a Word. The same clay, some Austrian Hus- 
sars committed some pillage in the house of the Brethren. 
We might have complained to the authorities ; but we did 
not ; and it was the first and last act of the kind. Prince 
Charles of Lorraine furnished our communities with military 
guards to see that no one was molested. 

! : Our lands were horribly ravaged by the Prussians and 
Austrians ; but not a single skirmish took place in our 
neighbourhood ; and the Saviour, in His grace, even averted 



THE EVENING. 



275 



the great battle that appeared imminent near Zittau. The 
Brethren found the greatest difficulty in supplying the 
troops, but Herrnhut was saved. The Pandors (Hun- 
garian Hussars), as they are called, were as gentle as 
children. A vast number of princes, great lords, and 
generals visited Herrnhut, and all of them showed respect 
and affection." 

These occurrences did not divert Zinzendorf from his 
ordinary work. Herrnhut had its political sympathies. 
A great number of the Brethren sided with the King of 
Prussia, who had always favoured their church, and whom 
they regarded as the representative of Protestantism. Zin- 
zendorf, on the contrary, out of loyalty, continued cordially 
attached to the cause of his Sovereign. But he knew how 
the feverish influences of political agitation injure the 
soul ; and, therefore, instead of participating in the excite- 
ment of the war, he calmly committed himself and his 
associates to the hands of God, and even discouraged con- 
versation on the events that were passing. His banish- 
ment, and the wandering life he had so long led, had 
taught him that his rest was not to be on earth, but in the 
eternal mansions of heaven. 

Another cause, however, tended to interrupt the usual 
course of his labours. The void left by the death of the 
Countess was soon painfully felt in its effects on Zinzen- 
dorf's habits. He became more and more disposed to 
seclusion; and, instead of observing the regularity which 
had been one of his prominent characteristics, he some- 
times gave himself up to listless inaction; and then, to 
overtake his duties, spending whole nights in writing, and 



276 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



thus disordered his already feeble health. His home 
affairs suffered seriously; the society of 'pilgrims or dis- 
ciples, as they were now called, that formed part of his 
household, and of which the Countess had been the life 
and soul, gradually broke up, and the change that had 
occurred in one single house, like a blow struck at a 
nations capital, affected the entire community. 

The friends of the Count, sensible of the injury that was 
likely to accrue from this state of things, persuaded him to 
marry again; and on the 27th of June 1757, just a year 
after the death of his first wife, he married Anna Nitsch- 
mann. She was the daughter of David Nitschmann, and 
in her childhood had been employed in tending her fathers 
cows. But it was through her instrumentality that the 
great spiritual awakening among the children at Herrnhut, 
which has already been referred to, was brought about; 
and at the age of fifteen she was elected to the office of 
elder among the Sisters, which she rilled for thirty years. 

Two months after his marriage the Count, accompanied 
by his new wife, two of his daughters, his son-in-law, and 
several pilgrims, took a preaching excursion in Switzerland, 
visiting the principal seats of population, and holding meet- 
ings from place to place. Zinzendorf preached in German ; 
but as many of his hearers only understood French, he 
either got some one of the congregation to translate, or, 
failing this, translated himself into that language. We 
may here mention, among his writings during this year 
(1757), a harmony of the Gospels, entitled the History of 
the Days of the Son of Man, which has found a welcome 
beyond the boundaries of his church, and is still extensively 



THE EVENING. 



277 



read. It has been translated into French. His discourses, 
during this tour were published in 1768. 

The evening of Zinzendorf's life was not a season of 
rest, but one of intenser activity than ever. His tour 
through Switzerland had been anything but a holiday; 
for when he was not preaching, he was constantly en- 
gaged in anxious conversation with individuals requiring 
his spiritual guidance; and after a very perilous and 
fatiguing journey through rain and snow, he once more 
reached Wirtemberg, only to find that most of his friends 
had abandoned him with a feeling of distrust. But he was 
not disheartened, though his constitution nearly gave way 
under two successive and dangerous illnesses ; and as soon 
as a little strength was restored, he threw his whole heart 
and soul into the spiritual culture of the community at 
Herrnhut. When Herrnhut was but a small group of 
colonists, and the Count concentrated his attention chiefly 
upon that spot, he made a weekly inquiry into the moral 
and physical state of every member of the church ; and 
Spangenberg says that when the end of the week arrived, 
he would not go to bed until he had ascertained exact 
particulars about each one. The growth of the colony 
now rendered this plan impracticable; and Zinzendorf 
therefore endeavoured to attain the same result by multi- 
plying the number of workers, subdividing the members 
according to their ages, and appointing assistants to super- 
intend the subdivisions. He also composed a number of 
new hymns for the use of the various choirs in their meet- 
ings, and one specially designed for the Diaspora, or the 
children of God scattered throughout the world. Nor was 



278 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



the mission field forgotten. During the summer of 1758, 
after short visits to Kleinwelke and Barby, he was to be 
seen taking part in a number of missionary conferences at 
Heerendyk in Holland ; and though his increasing feeble- 
ness obliged him not only to give up working at night, but 
to rest for some hours in the day, and to take regular 
meals, which he had never been accustomed to do, yet he 
held three meetings daily at his own dwelling, in addition 
to the conferences. 

Early in the year 1759, the Count received a letter 
from the Coptic Patriarch, at Cairo, sent by some of the 
Brethren who had been in Egypt. The patriarch ex- 
pressed his Christian regard for the Brethren, and asked 
for information as to the history of their church, and as to 
what they believed respecting the Trinity, the incarnation, 
the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the ascension. 

Zinzendorf gladly seized this opportunity of explaining 
the doctrines held by himself and his friends, and forthwith 
addressed a circumstantial reply to the patriarch's inquiries. 
His letter, a translation of which will be found in the Ap- 
pendix to this volume, is remarkable for the warmth of 
feeling it manifests when he refers to the all-commanding 
topic of the Saviour's love, and for the enlarged and liberal 
views he expresses in reference to other churches. This 
thorough catholicity is the more to be admired, because it 
is so rare in the founders of societies and institutions gene- 
rally. Though his colleagues found it hard to suppress the 
desire for the enlargement of their own church at the ex- 
pense of others, Zinzendorf fought with all his might 
against this tendency. " If we do not keep to our original 



THE EVENING. 279 

plan," he said, a few days before his death, " we shall ac- 
complish nothing. This plan must be invariable; we 
must adhere to it in life and death, and not give up an 
iota of it. I foresee that you will depart from it. But I 
will leave my protest behind me, so that after I am gone, 
and am with the Saviour, it may be known that I never 
approved of this course. . . I have never once seen an effort 
to multiply the number of establishments, or to enlarge 
them, result in any good. Be assured that if the Saviour 
wishes great things, He will do great things; and if a 
handful of people is sufficient for 'Him, He will let them 
remain a handful, and will not pay them less attention 
than if they were a numerous flock." 

The striking words he uttered in one of the meetings at 
Heerendyk, show that his mind was deeply impressed with 
this idea. 

" We, and all the children of G-od," he said, " should 
attend to the manifestations that have taken place in the 
kingdom of Christ — to the demonstrations and new revela- 
tions of the power and glory of the gospel. If the gospel 
manifests itself anywhere with greater distinctness than it 
has done previously among the Brethren, they are bound to 
join this new economy ; and if, on the other hand, they 
retain what has been given them, and it pleases the Saviour 
to make them grow in His grace, and in the knowledge of 
Him, other children of God will unite with them in a 
spiritual communion on the foundation of the same faith ; 
and then it maybe, that the economy of grace in which the 
Saviour has made use of the Brethren, will be continued 
till His coming." 



280 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The desire to depart and be with Christ grew with Zin- 
zendorf s years ; and it was only the intimate fellowship he 
enjoyed with his heavenly Friend, and the joy he felt in 
labouring for Him, that sustained him in waiting for the 
consummation of his happiness. During the few months 
that immediately preceded his death, he never intimated to 
his friends that he had any presentiment of it ; but the in- 
creasing ardour he manifested in his work left little doubt 
as to what was before his own mind. Spangenberg remarks, 
that he laboured like a man who had much to do and little 
time to do it in. At the commencement of the year 1760, 
he called together all the Brethren (to the number of about 
two hundred) who filled any office in the Church, or were 
engaged in any work for Christ ; and he proposed to have 
weekly conferences with them in reference to the funda- 
mental principles pertaining to such Christian service. 
These conferences were regularly held up to a few days be- 
fore he died ; and he also had daily confidential interviews 
with certain of the Brethren, in which the general interests 
of the community, missions, &c, were made the subject of 
devout consideration. 

He now determined to seek the personal acquaintance 
of every member of the Church, that he might ascertain 
the spiritual state of each one. This was a vast undertak- 
ing ; and, considering the large number of inhabitants at 
Herrnhut, it might well have appeared a simple impossi- 
bility. But Zinzendorf, instead of recoiling before the 
difiiculty, resolutely set to work, and in four months from 
that time, there was scarcely an individual in the colony 
that he had not conversed with privately, as he proposed. 



THE EVENING. 



281 



While the result in some cases filled him with grief, he was 
rejoiced to find that the great majority were under the all- 
constraining influence of Divine grace, and he was anxious 
to celebrate the goodness of God in thus preserving his 
brethren, by a solemn public thanksgiving. This, how- 
ever, did not take place till some time after his removal. 

Zinzendorf's last writing was a collection of Texts for 
the year following. He finished and re-read it a few days 
before he died. The passages he selected for the last five 
days of the year proved to be his farewell words to the 
Church on earth. 

We have Messed you out of the house of the Lord. — 
Ps. cxviii. 26. 

Every one according to his blessing he blessed them. — 
Gen. xlix. 28. 

The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and 

your children. — Ps. cxv. 14. 
And let the peace of God ride in your hearts. — Col. 

hi. 15. 

And the King turned his face about, and blessed all the 
congregation of Lsrael. — 1 Kings viii. 14. 

Zinzendorf had planned a visit to Zeitz, but postponed 
it on account of the state of his wife's health, which caused 
him great uneasiness ; and in the meantime his own days 
drew to a close. 

The following particulars of the final scene were pre- 
served in the journal of one of the Brethren who was then 
at Herrnhut. 

On the 5th of May, although he had had but little sleep, he 
wanted to finish, in the morning, the work that he had 



282 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



laid out for that day. One of his friends having urged him 
to leave it and finish it another day, he replied cheerfully, 
"No! we must not rest till we have tried!" He then 
went on writing, and when the manuscript was finished he 
gave it to his friend, saying, " Now, I may rest ! " He 
dined at tahle, that day, for the last time, but ate little, 
and complained of great thirst. After dinner he composed 
an ode of thirty-six stanzas, in commemoration of a special 
service held among the unmarried sisters ; and in the even- 
ing he attended an agape, but retired soon after and lay 
down greatly fatigued. He had very close conversation 
during the evening with his three daughters and some 
others, and observed, in reference to his illness, " Every 
time I have been ill, I have sought to find out the cause, 
and have asked myself what the Lord meant to reprove me 
for. As soon as I discovered this, I told my friends of it, 
for I knew that the Lord does not forbid our confessing 
our sins to His children, but that, if we do so, He mitigates 
the chastisement. I have followed this practice all my life, 
and I have always asked forgiveness of my enemies the 
moment I found that I was in the wrong in reference to 
them. Although they have often abused my frankness, I 
have not on that account abandoned it, for the Saviour 
knows how to vindicate the honour of His servants. But 
this time I am sure that my illness is not intended as a 
message of that kind. My soul is quite calm, and I am 
perfectly at peace with my Saviour." 

Zinzendorf s disease appears to have been a violent 
catarrhal fever. During the night before the 6th of May, 
he was very restless, and grew considerably weaker. But 



THE EVENING. 



283 



his mind was as active as ever. He corrected a part of 
his compilation of Texts, had the letters that arrived from 
missionaries and from various communities read to him, 
and conversed with those present. His wife came to see 
him for the last time, for she was very ill also, and was 
near her end. 

During the night of the 6th, the disease rapidly ad- 
vanced, and an obstinate cough made it very difficult for 
him to speak ; but he was able to express his heartfelt 
pleasure in seeing his oldest friend, Frederick Watteville, 
and Count Keuss, who came to take leave of him. 

That night the tvorkers of the Church took it in turn to 
watch at his bedside. He gave each of them an affection- 
ate welcome as they succeeded each other, but could say 
very little. He had no proper sleep, but only dosed now 
and then for a few seconds. But on the 8th, though fast 
losing strength, he was apparently fresher than he had been 
from the commencement of the attack. He gave a fond 
embrace to all who came to see him, and his heart over- 
flowed with the warmest feelings of love. " I cannot ex- 
press to you/' he said to his son-in-law and some others, 
" how much I love you. I am so happy. How delight- 
ful it is to be so united as we are ! It is like heaven." 
" Would you have believed," he added, addressing another 
of the circle around him, " that the prayer of Christ — that 
they may be one — could have been so strikingly fulfilled 
amongst us ?" As he uttered these words his face beamed 
with joy, and he went on to speak of several Brethren and 
Sisters who had already passed the flood, and were mingling 
with the ransomed host above. 



284 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



In the course of the afternoon he completed the revision 
of the book of Texts, and then talked of what the Saviour 
had done for him and for the community during the last 
thirty years. ''' Did you suppose at the outset," he said to 
David Xitschmann, and some of the other older members, 
" that the Saviour would do all that our eyes have seen for 
our communities, and for the scattered children of God, 
and for the heathen ? As to these last, I only asked for 
some first-fruits, and thousands have been given us ! " 

In the evening he had short intervals of dre aming , 
during which he spoke about some of the communities in 
Silesia. But during the former part of that night, which 
was his last, his mind was perfectly clear and collected ; he 
conversed with the Saviour, wrote a good deal, and men- 
tioned several Brethren whom he wished to speak to again. 
At midnight, however, his speech became confused, and a 
violent choking, which lasted for some few minutes, left 
him for a considerable time quite speechless. Towards 
morning he recovered his power of utterance, and thanked 
the Saviour for restoring it. "I am quite satisfied," he 
said, " with my Lord's dispensations. He has very precise 
purposes concerning His disciple, although you do not 
now understand Him. I find that I have pretty well 
finished what I had to do among you ; and if I am now to 
go, you know what I think." There he stopped, and was 
unable to proceed. But soon afterwards, John Wafteville, 
who had been sent for, arrived, and the Count beckoned 
him near to him, for he could only speak in a very low 
voice. " Well," he said, " my dear John, my beloved 
J ohn ! I am going to the Saviour. I am ready, I am 



THE EVENING. 



285 



quite at the command of my Master, and He is satisfied 
with me. If He does not wish to employ me any longer 
here below, I am quite ready to go to Him, for I have 
nothing else to keep me here." He then arranged with his 
son-in-law about some matters that he wished him to 
attend to, and sent for his daughters. But before they 
could obey the summons, another paroxysm came on, and 
again deprived him of the power of speech, so that he 
could only make a slight sign of recognition, and show 
them by his fond looks what he wanted to say. 

By this time about a hundred of the Brethren and Sisters 
had gradually assembled, either in the room or near the 
door ; and the Count, raising his eyes, looked at them af- 
fectionately several times, his countenance beaming with 
unspeakable joy, and the spectators only answering with 
floods of tears. His last look was placid and saintly, as 
that of one who had already laid aside the mantle of mor- 
tality. At nine o'clock in the morning his breathing be- 
came easier, but his head drooped and the eyelids closed. 

The solemn moment had come, and John Watte ville 
broke the deep stillness of the scene with the prayer once 
uttered by an aged pilgrim who had waited for the con- 
solation of Israel: — Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant 
depart in peace. — Luke ii. 29. 

He then laid his hands upon the head of the dying one, 
and pronounced the benediction : — 

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his 
face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; the 
Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee 
peace. — Num. vi. 24-26. 



286 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



At the last word, peace, Zinzendorf 's spirit passed away 
to eternal rest. His departure was announced to the com- 
munity by the sound of a trumpet, according to a custom 
which still subsists among the Moravians. There was not 
a dry eye in all Herrnhut, and nature appeared to sym- 
pathise with the general grief ; for although it was in the 
bright month of May, the heavens were hung in mourning, 
a thick, dark mist having shrouded everything for many 
horns. 

At three o'clock in the afternoon a meeting was held in 
the common hall, and John Watteville gave an account 
of what had transpired during the dying hours of the 
deceased. Then all knelt down and thanked God for 
what He had done by the hand of His servant. 

The next day the mortal remains of Zinzendorf, dressed 
in the white robe worn by the ministers of his church when 
performing their sacred functions, were brought into the 
saloon in a coffin with purple hangings ; and all the choirs 
in succession, beginning with the little children, came to 
see the last of their beloved friend. In the evening the 
coffin was closed ; but little companies of visitors continually 
gathered round it, singing hymns, and speaking of the life 
to come. 

The funeral did not take place till the 16th of May. 
More than two thousand spectators, from the surrounding 
towns and villages, lined the road to the cemetery. A 
detachment of imperial guards was sent from Zittau, by 
the commandant, to keep order, if necessary. 

The company assembled outside the common house at 
five o'clock in the evening ; and at a signal given by the 



THE EVENING. 



287 



trumpeters, the body was brought out, some verses of a 
hymn were sung, and then the procession moved off. The 
pupils in the schools at Hennersdorf, Meski, and Herrnhut 
walked first, and two thousand one hundred members of 
the Church of the Brethren followed. The coffin was 
surrounded by thirty-two pastors or deacons of the Church, 
who had come from different parts of Germany, as well as 
from Holland, England, America, and Greenland, — sixteen 
at a time acting as bearers. 

Zinzendorf was laid in the peaceful burial-place on the 
Hutberg, by the side of his first wife ; and one who was 
present said that the devoutness and solemnity of that ser- 
vice was like the celebration of a sacrament. 

The spot was marked by a simple stone, larger than the 
rest ; and an inscription, commencing with the words,— 



Here lie the bones of a man 
ivhose memory will never fade. 



APPENDIX. 



Note 1. Zinzendorf's Descendants and Heirs. 

Zinzendoef had twelve children by his first marriage — six 
sons and six daughters, most of whom died in infancy. Only 
three daughters survived him — Benigna, the wife of John Watte- 
ville ; Mary Agnes, who afterwards married Count Maurice of 
Dohna, also a member of the Church of the Brethren; and Eli- 
zabeth, who became the wife of Baron Frederick Watteville, the 
son of Nicholas Watteville. 

A daughter of Benigna was married to the brother of John 
Christian Alexander, of Schweinitz ; and her descendants, many 
of whom are workers in the Church, are all settled in the Ameri- 
can communities ; they constitute the sole remains of his family. 

His second wife, Anna Nitschmann, survived him only a few 
days, and was buried by his side. 

At the time of Zinzendorf s death, the debt for which he was 
responsible on behalf of the community, and which had been 
contracted to meet its necessities, amounted to 1,631,766 thalers, 
or about £280,000. As this sum exceeded the value of his 
property, and the Brethren were anxious to relieve his family, 
as far as possible, of the burden, they constituted the community 
his heir, settled a pension for life on his daughters, and in about 
forty years entirely extinguished the debt. 

T 



290 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



The manors of Berthelsdorf and Hennersdorf now belong to 
the Moravian Brethren, whose fathers came there as exiles from 
their own land ; and their experience forms a living commentary 
on the words of the Saviour : " Verily I say unto you, There is 
no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or 
children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive 
manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life 
everlasting," (Luke xviii. 29, 30.) 



Note 2. Spangenbeeg's and Scheautenbach's Descriptions 

OF ZlNZENBOEF. 

(1.) "The Count," says Spangenberg, "was a man of an ex- 
ceedingly quick intellect, and both worked and thought un- 
wearyingly. His fertile brain teemed with original ideas, which 
he often expressed in terms that appeared strange. He was also 
singularly inventive, both in scheming useful enterprises, and in 
combining the means of their execution ; and on these subjects 
he always spoke with great animation. 

" His memory was prompt and retentive, although it was not 
always certain in matters of detail. 

" He was of such an active nature that it was difficult for him 
to do nothing. Nor could he work slowly; and when once he 
had undertaken anything, he devoted all his faculties to it, and 
did not leave it till it was finished. He did not like to be inter- 
rupted in his work ; but when this was absolutely necessary, he 
could soon give himself with equal concentration to the fresh 
business that had presented itself, although he found it very 
difficult to go back to what he had in hand before. 

"As far as I can form an idea of Luther's temperament, I 

should judge that Zinzendorf's greatly resembled it His 

feelings were quick, strong, and apt to carry him too far. Cha- 
rity sometimes made him too indulgent, and zeal too severe. 



APPENDIX. 



291 



Matters of a painful kind generally affected him too much • and 
on the other hand, when he was joyful, his joy, though not going 
to excess, possessed his whole soul. When he was anxious about 
any one or anything, he imagined the worst, and it was not an 
easy thing to get him to listen to reason. 

" When he propounded anything of which he had a deep con- 
viction, he could not bear to be contradicted ; but he often thought 
afterwards of the objections that had been made, and profited by 
them. 

"He could not conceive of people always. holding to an idea 
they had once embraced, and making no advance in knowledge. 
He thought it impossible for a man who is seeking truth not to 
discover where he is wrong, and what he does not know. He 
believed that the love of truth required every one to abandon 
what they had held if anything better presented itself. When 
this view was objected to on the score of inconstancy, he would 
answer, that truth ought always to be preferred to a reputation 
for constancy, and that it was well to be always learning. It 
was this that necessitated so many alterations in his writings ; 
he was always correcting them. 1 It is a habit with me/ he 
said, 1 as soon as ever a book of mine is out of the press, to add 
not only long errata, but fresh explanations. Whenever I can, I 
correct all that does not appear to me right, and I do not mind 
contradicting myself over and over again ; for I think that the 
smallest truth is of greater value than the reputation of doctor.' 
When an expression was pointed out to him in any of his writ- 
ings that might be improved, and a better was suggested, he 
manifested great pleasure ; and when he happened to find a word 
or sentence that completely conveyed his ideas, he was as delighted 
as a child. 

" When he found himself among people who gave ever so little 
evidence of love to the Saviour, and in whom he could trace any 
sign of the work of the Spirit, he immediately sought conversa- 
tion with them, though he never asked what their religion was, 



292 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



whence they came, or what were their opinions ; and he was the 
more anxious to form a further acquaintance with them if they 
were suffering persecution. 

" He possessed a peculiar talent for conversing with people who 
did not think as he did. He had the happy art of communicat- 
ing his mind quite freely and frankly, without giving any offence; 
though in the earlier part of his life, when he had not much ex- 
perience, he would sometimes grant too much, and sometimes too 
little, to those who differed from him, while he had more con- 
sideration for some persons than they deserved. 

" He always seemed to enjoy inward peace. He believed that 
the Saviour would only do what was for his good ; and when he 
asked Him for anything, he felt assured that his prayer would be 
answered. He loved to thank God for everything, even for 
things which other people would have thought too trivial. His 
greatest desire was to do the will of his Master, and to have a 
constant sense of what that will was. The incarnation, suffer- 
ings, and death of Jesus Christ had captivated his whole heart, 
and formed the principal subject of his discourses. 

" In common life, when he had no particular reason for being 
on his guard, he manifested the simplicity of a child. He was a 
good illustration of the happiness of being delivered, by the blood 
of the Lamb, from a guilty conscience. All his actions and all 
his words proved his tender love to the Saviour, and to all His 
people. He was warm-hearted, gentle, sanguine, open, and at 
peace with every one. It was a real pleasure to him to help 
others by his advice, or in any other way; in short, he was 
always happy in doing good, and he never made any difference, 
in this respect, between friends and foes, unless it was that he 
naturally inclined most toward the latter. This disposition to 
oblige others, combined with the hope that he would always have 
the power of doing so, often led him to make promises that he 
could not possibly fulfil ; and no one could be more grieved than 
he was when this proved to be the case. 



APPENDIX. 



293 



" He had gained from the Scriptures, from history, and from 
experience, a deep knowledge of, the sinfulness of his own heart, 
and of the hearts of others. Hence he was often greatly dis- 
quieted about his friends to whom he was most attached ; and he 
could not help telling them so, though it cost much pain on both 
sides. He was not satisfied with putting a stop to what might 
cause public scandal, but he earnestly endeavoured to prevent every- 
thing that was likely to become an occasion of sin, or savoured 
of evil. His solicitude on this head extended to every member 
of the community, not excepting the little children, and embraced 
even the most trivial acts. He selected, as the special objects of 
his care, the unhappy, the weak-minded, and those who had but 
little talent — the classes who were most likely to be generally 
overlooked. When he saw the evidences of love to Christ in any 
persons of this description, he showed a peculiar esteem and affec- 
tion for them." 

The following is the portrait drawn by Schrautenbach : — 
(2.) " Count Zinzendorf was not a faultless man ; but all who 
knew him will acknowledge that he was quick in seizing the 
truth, and most faithful in serving it. He was uniformly the 
same in his essential principles, and he always had one object 
before him. This unum hominem agere, which so few men have 
carried out, was the distinctive feature of his character during 
the whole of his life. 

" Considering his natural activity, his temperament, and the 
varied powers of his mind, it is not surprising that certain eccen- 
tricities and apparent contradictions occasionally made their ap- 
pearance in the course of his history. Those who observed him 
closely knew that he was thoroughly upright ; he had proved 
this again and again, not only in the ordinary occurrences of 
every day, but in critical and trying circumstances ; and yet one 
could hardly read Tacitus without thinking of him. His policy 
was suspicious, and sometimes had the appearance of dissimula- 



294 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



tion; and he was too anxious to maintain Lis authority, even 
when nobody called it in question. These were defects that re- 
sulted partly from his natural disposition, and partly from his 
education and early intercourse with the world. They were 
observed by the Brethren, but they did not detract in the least 
from the unbounded confidence reposed in him, for they only 
pertained to outward forms and modes of action ; real simplicity 
was the basis of his character. 

" Zinzendorf s chief characteristics were his desire for the 
public good, his benevolence, energy, constancy, disinterestedness, 
magnanimity, and persistent self-consecration to a truly great 
object. 

" No one was ever more generally loved by all who belonged 
to him ;* no one was ever submitted to a more searching analy- 
sis ; but he had merit enough to carry him through it in triumph. 
The points and angles in his character only render it more inte- 
resting to study. His creative genius, his power of observation, 
and the vast range of his eye, gave him novel and striking views 
of many things. "When preaching, he seldom treated his subject 
from the side that would have appeared to others the most salient, 
but he generally struck out a course of thought that his hearers 
did not at all anticipate. It was the same in matters of business ; 
no one could say beforehand in what particular way he would 
set about anything that was to be done, though every one 
knew the ultimate object that he unceasingly kept before 
him. 

" It was not to be expected that a man of such depth and 
force of nature, and placed in such an exceptional situation as 
Zinzendorf, would always keep within precise bounds. With a 
field of labour so extensive, that the sun might literally be said 
never to set upon it, it was impossible for him to be as minute 

* This was especially the case towards the end of his career ; for during a 
considerable length of time he might have said, with the apostle Paul, Though 
ihe more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved r (2 Cor. xii. 15,) 



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295 



and methodical as a man who only had a single parish to care 
for. .... 

" It was by his hymns and his discourses that he exercised the 
most direct influence upon the mass. He gave very little prepa- 
ration to his discourses, and he never wrote them 

" His action in speaking was correct and natural, and he had 
a rich, masculine, harmonious, and expressive voice. His oratory 
was unstudied, but singularly effective ; and he always gave one 
the impression of a man whose life was harmonious, and full of 
soul. 

" He was a noble, grand-looking person, and as he walked 
along the streets, people looked at him, and instinctively made 
way for him. 

" His dress was always extremely simple, and even careless. • 
His house was never well furnished, he had few personal wants, 
and was incorrigibly regardless of his own comfort. 

" His countenance was imposing, and capable of great expres- 
sion. His forehead was high; his eyes of a deep blue colour, 
bright, piercing, quick in their movements, and somewhat dimi- 
nished in size by illness ; his nose well formed, and slightly 
arched ; his lips closed, though not compressed. He was of 
middle height, and walked briskly, with a firm step, carrying his 
head upright. There was a great elegance about him, though 
there was nothing affected. He was manly in his bearing, and 
rather reserved. Although he was exceedingly kind in his 
manners, people were often afraid of him at first ; and when 
they went to speak to him, would forget all they wanted to 
say. 

" Zinzendorf was cheerful, affable, and very conversational. 
He liked a harmless joke, even if it was aimed at himself j but 
nobody was ever familiar with him. The intercourse held with 
him was such as might be held with a superior lord. He was 
beloved and honoured ; but those around him felt that they were 
in the presence of a man of high rank. 



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" Speaking of himself, he said, ' I have as strong a tendency to 
folly as any one j ' and the confession does him honour. Such a 
frank and public acknowledgment of his own weakness was more 
than might have been expected from a man who was accused of 
matins; himself an idoL 

" We have spoken of Zinzendorf s usual deportment among the 
Brethren and Sisters, but we must not omit to mention the un- 
due displeasure he sometimes manifested at what was not quite 
to his mind. Once, for example, he was very angry about a pew 
in the church, which had not been placed as he intended it to 

be When bad news reached him, especially if any of the 

members had compromised the true interests of the community, 
he was so overcome, that if he did not at once retire by himself 
his emotion could only be relieved by a torrent of words, which 
he would pour out on some one individual who happened to be 
present. 

" But he never used any undignified expressions, or such as 
would leave a sting behind. In his case, these outbursts were 
probably a physical necessity ; at any rate, they were the more 
excusable on account of his peculiar position ; and sometimes he 
would stop himself under the feeling that he was going too far. 
1 Do not make me more ridiculous than I am already,' was his 
answer, on an occasion of this kind, to some one who offered to 
prompt him with a lacking word. 

" The readiness with which he passed from one state of feeling 
to another was remarkable. Often, when he came into the meet- 
ings of the Brethren after a heated conversation on matters of 
the most anxious nature, the sight of the assembly at once changed 
the current of his thoughts, and his address would breathe peace 
and joy. 

" He owed most of what he knew to his own habit of study. 
He read scarcely anything but the Bible, and I believe that in 
the course of twenty years he only read a single religious book. 
He wrote much, and spent a great deal of time in meditation. 



APPENDIX. 



297 



" His works contain many hazardous phrases, and they have 
been justly characterised as wanting in exactitude. This is espe- 
cially the case with those discourses which were published from 
the notes of his hearers. They are not all of equal value, and 
there are some which it would have been better not to publish at 
all. But many of them are rich in theological and practical 
truth. It was not his habit to dwell very long on one branch of 
a subject, and hence his writings are by no means exhaustive. 
But there are few speakers who, with so little preparation, have 
infused so much thought into their public addresses, or who have 
presented one unvarying topic in such a variety of views. 

" One of the finest traits of his character was his unshaken 
faith in what is written. He was quite familiar with all the 
sceptical objections that could be raised against the Bible, and 
he did not think much of the arguments generally used to meet 
them. He had read Bayle and many authors of that class, when 
a young man. ' My friends,' he said, ' have often blamed me for 
taking any pleasure in the writings of men who could scoff at 
religion and attack the faith. But I did not think of that when 

I was reading them I feel grateful to certain writers, 

whom theologians of every shade have condemned, and I have 
often thought I would rather be considered a Bayle than a 
Jurieu.' 

" He did not assert the impossibility of historical or chrono- 
logical errors in Scripture, and he did not teach the literal inspir- 
ation of the Sacred Volume. But the whole of his theological 
system was built upon the Bible as the Book of God, and the 
revelation containing all the divine counsel in reference to human 
salvation." 

This latter remark of Schrautenbach is confirmed by the fol- 
lowing proposition submitted by Zinzendorf to the Synods of the 
United Brethren, and which was approved : — 

" Holy Scripture is the oracle that constitutes the final court 



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of appeal. The Sacred Writings of the Old and New Testaments 
are absolutely divine works. He who desires to be saved, and 
even he who has to bear testimony, will find that they contain 
sufficiently and perfectly all doctrines, all theses, all prophecies, 
and everything that goes to make up the system of theology. 
Hence nothing more is needed till the coming of Christ, and it 
is neither right nor possible to change or to add to anything the 
Bible says." 



Note 3. Zinzendorf's Letter to the Coptic Patriarch. 
See p. 278. 

" The following may be taken as a summary of our creed : — 
" Jesus Christ, true God, the issue of God, the Father of 
eternity, and the Creator of the universe, was made man by the 
good pleasure of His heavenly Father, and by the action of the 
Holy Spirit. He was born without original sin, of the Virgin 
Mary, and of the race of David.. He lived on earth, He died to 
atone for my sins, and for those of the whole world. That God, 
my Creator, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, is what 
I could easily have supposed, even if the Scriptures had not 
mentioned it. It is an undeniable fact. He is the one Patriarch 
of His spiritual family here below; all teachers, all witnesses, 
whatever may be their degree in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, are 
His disciples, and this name never can mean Master. Men of 
changeful mind, foolish men, or those who are too much given 
to abstraction, and whose hearts feel nothing, may invent a hun- 
dred sorts of systems, and may impose them on one another ; 
serious souls, who are open to the impressions of the truth, and 
are faithful to it, thank God for being made man, and for saving 
them the necessity of diving into depths which, in their misery, 



APPENDIX. 



299 



are far beyond them. They live in Him, for He is the way, the 
truth, and the life. "No man cometh to the Father but by Him. 
He that hath the Son hath the Father also, and the Holy Spirit 
takes from Him what He teaches us.* He was the first to tell 
us that the Divine Being is a Father, to whom we may say, A bba ! 
and to promise that God would manifest Himself to us in that 
character. It was He who spoke of a Holy Spirit, who covered 
Mary with His shadow, and formed in her the humanity of Christ. 
He committed His Church to the Holy Spirit, who is to abide 
with her for ever. All true churches take a filial attitude in the 
presence of the Holy Spirit, lifting their eyes to His hands,t and 
trusting to His gracious care 

" Our chief business is with Christ, His person, at once human 
and divine, God-man, one only Christ; His martyrdom is the 
sight of sights to our souls. He is God in His eternal dwelling ; 
but He is still the same man that He was. And this Jesus will 
come again in the like manner as He was seen going into heaven. J 

" We seek to direct the eyes of all sinners to Him, and to pre- 
pare them for the blessed sight of His person. And for this 
work the whole world is open to us, for the earth is His, and He 
was baptized with the baptism of fire and blood, which, by the 
grace of God, sanctifies and makes perfect all who come to God 
by Him. The testament left us by Jesus, in His last discourses, 
and in His prayers on the way to His Passion, (John xiii.-xvii.,) 
constitutes all our ecclesiastical system ; and forbids our judging 
any of the Christian communions. But it is one thing not to 
judge, and another thing to accept. We leave the various Chris- 
tian sects with the Lord, and we endeavour to guard against 
exciting in any of them divisions, differences, and fighting about 
words. But we cannot allow ourselves to be shut up within any 
sect in the world. The dying wishes of Jesus Christ, expressed 
to His Father on behalf of those who believe in Him, expressly 

* John xvi. 15. He shall take of mine and shall show it unto you. 
f In allusion to Psalm cxxvi. $ Acts i. 11. 



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prohibit us from being so. (John xvii 21.) We only want to 
bring home to the hearts of men, in a practical way, those truths 
which are incontrovertible, and our great aim is to realise the 
sacerdotal prayer of Jesus, ' That they all may be one / ' 

" We baptize pagans in the name of the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Spirit, into the death of Jesus. And we receive into 
our church all those among them who believe. But we do not 
oblige all Christians to whom we are made useful to enter our 
church ; we only seek to sprinkle all the churches, whatever they 
may be, with the blood of Jesus, to spread among Christians the 
leaven of His death, so that this leaven may gradually sanctify 
the churches to which they belong, and preserve them from the 
sleep of death and corruption, till the Chief Shepherd shall ap- 
pear, and shall unite all in one flock. 

" There is no mother-church on the earth, but all the churches 
are sisters ; * there is no earthly father, but we are all brethren ; 
there is no universal Patriarch of the true Christian Church, for 
all its members are disciples. 

" We do not wish to establish new forms of worship, to change 
the hierarchy, to correct the terms used in religious discourse, or 
to abolish abuses ; we do not aim to introduce our theology, so 
far as its modes of expression are concerned ; we rather seek to 
apply the words of truth, already known and admitted in our 
churches, to the hearts of men ; we want to bring them by that 
means to a personal acquaintance with the faithful Witness who 
has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 
and stands at the door of every heart and knocks for admission. 
We are deputed by His heart to all your hearts, Christians, to 
remind you in love that you should be faithful, — not in the 
things of which you make no profession, or in those that you 
differ about, but in those on which you are, at least in words, 

* Zinzendorf says in another of his writings : — "I do not believe in one 
great visible church, but in a number of little chapels consecrated to the Holy 
Spirit." 



APPENDIX. 



301 



agreed, — in what you have admitted, and always admit, to be 
true. And, finally, wherever a Christian church asks our assist- 
ance, we are always ready to be, not its superiors, but its servants ; 
for to serve is our motto. By doing this, however, we do not 
mean to say that such a church is perfect, that it is the only 
good church, the only true one, the orthodox one ; but we labour 
wherever we can and ought to do so, that those who teach and 
those who are taught may experience the truth of the words that 
form the supreme consolation of every reconciled heart : My Be- 
loved is mine, and I am His* 

" If we succeed in that, and succeed in it by preaching His 
death and the merits of His blood, which no baptized Christian's 
heart can seriously resist, — that is enough for us, that is all we 
could wish." 



Note 4. Discourses in Berlin. Seep. 188. 

The discourses delivered by Zinzendorf in Berlin, or rather the 
outlines of them supplied by Langguth's notes, were translated 
into French soon after their appearance, and printed in London 
in 1744. 

These sermons are divided into three series, the first containing 
twelve on the Lord's Prayer ; the second including sixteen on the 
second part of the Creed, (that which treats of Jesus Christ) ; the 
third embracing twenty-six on different subjects. The original 
volume is respectfully dedicated to the Queen of Prussia. 

"Your Majesty/' the author says, "is the glory of a great 
monarch, and of an important officer in the kingdom of God. 
You are a precious mother to the Prince, and to all the royal 
family. You are beloved by the subjects of your royal husband, 
* Song of Solomon ii. 16. 



302 



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and these are so many great glories in one. I have also had oc- 
casion to notice that your Majesty is not far from becoming a 
poor sinner. This is a very rare grace, where so many virtues 
exist. 

" If your Majesty possesses this glory in addition to the others, 
your happiness is perfect, and your glory is well founded." 

In the preface, Zinzendorf explains his reasons for revising 
these extracts of his sermons, and authorising the publication. 

Subjoined is an extract from a discourse preached in London 
in 1746, which evidently contains the pith of the whole of the 
series on the Lord's Prayer. The preface to the volume from 
which this is extracted would indicate that the translation into 
English was prepared under his own eye ; and it states the in- 
teresting fact that not a few Englishmen went to the trouble of 
learning German, in order to listen to these discourses. 

The volume is entitled : — " Nine Public Discourses upon im- 
portant subjects on Religion, 'preached in Fetter Lane Chapel, at 
London, in the year 1746. Translated from the German."" 
London : James Hutton. 1748. 

" Concerning the simple meaning and great idea of the Lord's 
Prayer. 

" Dear hearts ! to join together in one form and liturgy, to 
say the same words with two different hearts, to join in profess- 
ing that which we have no inward conviction of, and to hear 
various truths to which we are not yet attained, are two widely 
different things. 

" It is usual many times to speak of truths, because we know 
they of themselves have a tendency to awaken a longing, a thirst, 
and a desire in the soul to be partakers of them and their blessed- 
ness j and, therefore, when our Saviour spoke of matters which 
properly concerned His disciples only, He very often admitted 
all men to hear them. 

" I have no occasion to use many arguments to prove this, I 



APPENDIX. 



303 



only need to point you to the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters 
of Matthew ; that is a sermon which, according to all men's ideas, 
is, from the first to last, full of paradoxes. There are things 
therein so impracticable in a well-regulated commonwealth, that 
even the true children of God, as matters may be circumstan- 
tiated, cannot order themselves according to them. I will only 
produce that maxim, ' Ye shall not resist any imposition.' Were 
this to be generally received and introduced into civil life, the 
consequence we must necessarily expect from it would be a total 
subversion of the human race ; there would be an end of all 
order in the world — of all government, nor could any man be 
secure in the possession of his own property. This is the reason 
why wellrdisposed minds, who have not their thoughts in the 
best order, especially, if besides they have no entire heart, and 
yet will be meddling with our Saviour's matters, have run into 
such extremes, as even to reject all kinds of defence of a country, 
all judicial proceedings, and other constitutions of government. 
They allege the fifth and sixth chapters of Matthew; but they do 
not understand them. 

t{ Certain it is, and our Saviour himself would not deny it, 
that His sermon did not refer to all those who were then present ; 
for to obviate such a thought, He makes use of that wise caution, 
' For whom it is good to hear this, let him hear it.' In like 
manner, when on a time a general rule dropt in among some 
special ones, he says, ' What I say unto you here, I say unto all, 
Watch' By which He evinces, at the same time, that the fore- 
going matters were not spoken to all ; but to watch, to give 
attention to the mind, to the thoughts, and to the work of the 
Spirit in the heart, this He recommended to all. 

" But what, then, is a paradox in doctrine ? A paradox must 
not be confounded with an error, for it may be a dear truth of 
God ; but it is either no economical truth which suits for the 
present period, or else a truth which is not for everybody, belongs 
only to certain subjects, and is only for such persons as have ex- 



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perienced the reality of it, and who practise it because they have 
it in their hearts. 

" Therefore a deep wisdom of God lies in the course of the 
doctrine, in that truths seem a paradox to people as long as they 
are not for their hearts, that they seem strange to them, and they 
do not know what to make of them : for when they do attend 
to them notwithstanding, the effect is, either they awaken a 
shame in their hearts that they do not understand them as yet, 
or else a desire and longing that they also may understand them. 
And this is the reason why our Saviour, under the name of the 
Lord's Prayer, repeated the known marrow and kernel of all 
prayer to His disciples in the presence of all the people. ' After 
this manner shall ye pray,' says He. This is the reason why it 
is so beautiful and edifying for people who are called unto the 
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that 
they early and beforehand learn to understand and comprehend 
the Lord's Prayer, and what an important and blessed plan, what 
a system of divinity is couched in it. 

" Now, if we would go to work with the explication of it in a 
natural and simple manner, we must not look upon this form of 
prayer as it might be applied profitably to the circumstances of 
our own times, but according to what our Saviour meant and 
intended to show His disciples at that time thereby, and what He 
would recommend to them as the subject-matter of their prayers ; 
for then, as I said already, the whole body of divinity of that 
period (which may be called the Fulness of Time) will be found 
to be contained in it. 

" It referred to the Economy or Dispensation of the just ap- 
proaching New Testament ; and if we explain it in this view, 
following the nearest literal sense, we shall find it harmonising 
with all the other parts of our Saviour's doctrine. 

" When ye pray, My disciples ; My people that I have sought 
for Myself out of the world, My people which serve Me, and shall 
see My glory, that shall know My sufferings and shall bear My 



APPENDIX. 



305 



faith amongst mankind, when ye pray, say, Our Father which 
art above in heaven ! For it is well known that there were at 
that time many fathers; many persons were called fathers ; people 
of high rank and station were called gods in a political sense ; so, 
many who were in esteem and consideration at that time, were 
denominated fathers in a theological one. This prevailed to that 
degree that our Saviour found himself under the necessity of for- 
bidding His disciples to call anybody father, making it a charac- 
teristic of the New Testament economy that no man should be 
called father, because the souls in that dispensation had got a 
new Father, with whom the world was utterly unacquainted. So, 
then, Thou art our Father who art above in heaven ; 'tis to Thee 
we speak ; we are Thine ; Thy children have somewhat to tell 
Thee ; their heart has a matter to lay before Thee, which they 
would fain have done for them at this time. 

" The first thing they are concerned for is, May Thy name be 
hallowed. 

"I don't know whether this expression be understood in its 
natural and simple sense. Dr Luther has explained it admirably 
well : — ' What is that 1 The name of God is doubtless holy in 
itself ; but what we ask in this prayer is, that it may be hallowed 
through us too.' 

" This is the very meaning of it. Things must come to that, 
that Thou shalt obtain a divine worship in the world, that divine 
honour be paid to the Father in heaven, that He be acknowledged 
to be the Church's God, that liturgy be directed to Him also, 
that it may not only be said, Jehovah Elohim, but also, God, 
Thou Father Jehovah ! For this had not been done hitherto. 
No man had as yet worshipped and adored God the Father ; either 
there was nothing at all, or at least nothing but obscure expres- 
sions occurring about Him in all the Bible. Hence our Saviour 
explains Himself, that the Bible treats properly of Him Himself ; 
and Peter says, that by all the prophets have spoken, the Holy 
Ghost pointed at the sufferings of Jesus and the glorious things 

U 



306 



THE BANISHED COTN'T. 



which were to follow upon them. This is the plan of the whole 
Bible : the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God who led 
the people of Israel out of Egypt, the God of all flesh, the God 
of all gods, that God by whom alone one was to swear, who 
made us and is our husband ; all these were our Saviour who, 
one time when in human form, told His enemies, ' You are won- 
dering that I am so old, / was before Abraham was thought of ; 
if Abraham had had an opportunity of seeing me in this manner, 
he would have been ravished out of the body for joy; and when I 
once appeared to him only incognito, that day remained such a 
day of blessing to him that he could never let it go out of his 
memory any more.' And in another place he says, ' When the 
great kings and prophets had a mind to enjoy something extra- 
ordinary, then they represented to themselves one such day as 
you always have. In the meanwhile their business was to con- 
verse with God, to have a feeling of Him, to be near to His 
Spirit when some such thing came upon them, when at any time 
they felt anything of this nature in spirit, which you have every 
day bodily (but which they could not have, because I was not yet 
in this tabernacle, nor as yet clothed with a human body, and so 
could be seen by no man,) how glad were they ! This is your 
superior privilege, that you have me present with you.' 

"In a word, the whole economy to this time was purely the 
economy of our Saviour, the Creator, who yet further intended 
to redeem the world, and had preserved and shut up His creature 
out of grace and love till His appearing, that all might not run to 
ruin ; who contrived the law and the whole dispensation of the 
Old Testament as well as the covenant-time of the patriarchs, as 
the theocracy of the people of Israel, to this end, that some how- 
ever of His creatures might be saved and kept from wrath, till 
His appearing in the flesh. But now a new period began and a 
new worship : now His little pre-elected flock, His chosen house- 
hold, were also to worship God the original Being, who was, as 
yet, hid; the Father of Jesus Christ, who, as our Saviour says, 



APPENDIX. 



307 



is in secret. For this is the phrase He uses more than once in 
His Sermon upon the Mount, O <rar?jo ^ov 6 si/ ^uttw, My 
Father who is in secret, who dwells in obscurity, or at least in 
light which no man can approach unto, of whom nobody knows 
anything at all ; He shall now begin to obtain divine worship, a 
religion in the world. This, then, is the first petition, 1 Hallowed 
be thy name.' Dear Father ! oh that the time might once come 
that Thou shouldst be preached, and that there might be a people 
to whom Thou couldst be made known, who all could worship 
Thee ; that if not every knee in heaven and .upon earth, and 
under the earth, yet at least the elect people of thy Son might, 
at the command of their Lord, cast themselves down before Thee 
and worship Thee. We sing, on this account, 

' God on whom the Church does call, 
For the sake of Jesus,' &c. 

" The second petition is the means to attain to the first — 1 Thy 
kingdom come!' Oh, that at least Thy economy did already take 
place. This has a reference to what our Saviour says, — Dear 
people, you must get new ideas of things, and I will help you to 
them ; I will propound matters to you which shall correct and 
make additions to your whole former system of • divinity ; things 
you have never heard of before, but you must first of all have 
become other men. A new economy w T ill commence, — that of my 
Father. But wherein consists the economy which commenced 
at that time, and has been subsisting ever since to this day? 
Therein that He makes a marriage for His Son, as man, who 
laid down His life for the misery and corruption of His creature ; 
and that He not only carries on a work which has peculiar refer- 
ence to the Son, in the kingdom of nature, but enters too, in an 
especial manner, into the affairs of grace, begetting men according 
to His own will through the word of truth, whom the man Christ 
Jesus obtains prerogatively, His property, His Ilsp/nolr^i;, His 
own particularly-appropriated people ; and as John in particular 



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expresses it so often, His bride-people, His souls predestinated to 
His eternal marriage. 

" This is that dispensation which has now been subsisting 
these seventeen hundred years, concerning which our Saviour 
says : ' This is the Father's business, to make you believe on the 
Son of man.' And nobody can, in the ordinary way, become ac- 
quainted with the humanity of Jesus, to whom the Father hath 
not first of all began the demonstration. He draws all souls to 
me : now, whomsoever my Father does present unto me, he 
comes to me gladly, and whosoever comes, him will I receive and 
promise him by my honour and faithfulness that on my day I 
will present and set him before my Father, again and openly con- 
fess him. This is the meaning of ' Thy kingdom come.'' Oh that 
the time might soon come on when it pleases God to reveal and 
manifest His Son as man, as Keconciler, and as the Offering for 
sin : all which is couched together in that word, His message, 
during which the Father works upon the souls, and carries on the 
great business of drawing all elect souls to their Creator as man ; 
not excluding such as our Saviour gets, besides such as He fetches 
His own self : as He says, 1 When I be lifted up upon the cross' 
I will not be satisfied that I have a little elected flock, that I 
have a bride ; no, but / will draw all souls without distinction 
after me ; for all souls are mine. 

" This is that mystery, which is a key for the heart in the 
weighty matter of predestination. This is the reason of Dr 
Luther's saying, ' Adam must truly be dead first, before we speak 
of election, and then the new man must speak of it.' 

" It is a thing undoubted that there is a predestination in the 
economy of the Father, who draws the souls to the Son, who has 
sought out souls before the foundation of the world was laid, that 
they might be holy and unreproveable in the eyes of Him who 
acts towards them as His Son's espoused ones, in love and con- 
descension. This is an eternal truth, corroborated with many 
hundred arguments in the New Testament ; and many instances 



APPENDIX. 



309 



prove that there are souls who must be saved, because their 
Father has drawn them, and their election is not owing to them- 
selves. But, on the other hand, the Son, as the Sovereign Lord 
of all souls, has still power to save whomsoever He will. He is 
not tied to the election ; neither are we to suppose that no more 
men will be saved than the first-born, or, as they are frequently 
called in the Eevelation of John, the first-fruits. He ever liveth, 
and is able to save to the uttermost, (or evermore ;) and the souls 
He does save, do not so much by the Father come to Him as by 
Him unto God : He bears them home upon His shoulders. 

" This affords but a confused idea to such as have no heart. 
Sometimes it is said in the Bible that the Father draws the souls 
to the Son — ' No man can come to me except the Father draw 
him' And again, at another time that the Son brings them to 
the Father — ' No man cometh to the Father hut by me. 7 

" Nobody that hath not a heart can tell what to make of this ; 
but he that has the divine economy that rules the world in his 
heart, and has a share in it, he understands this. There are not 
two sorts of men, two sorts of souls, we are all brethren and 
sisters ; therefore we may look upon all the sinners in a whole 
city, and in half a world of men, as such, nor is there a single 
soul whom we may not behold with brotherly eyes. For although 
their signature, and their whole air and behaviour do presently 
discover that they are not the people whom the Father hath given 
to His Son as the first-fruits, yet of this 'we are so certainly per- 
suaded, that we could stake our lives thereupon, that no human 
creature walks the streets, that no human creature is existing, let 
it live as it will, in whoredom, drunkenness, and all manner of 
sins, who may not, through the sovereign power of Jesus Christ, 
the Creator of the world, be delivered from its sins, snatched and 
plucked out of its misery; be fetched round again, and freed 
from the tyranny of Satan ; and as soon as a panting, a longing 
in deep distress at themselves has sprung up in them, be laid 
hold on and carried home upon the arms of the God and Creator 



310 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



of the universe ; so that our Saviour, forgetting, as it were, for a 
moment all His first-born, — His dear hearts, His bride, the sheep 
of His hand, whom He has made, and not they themselves, and 
leaving them on His pasture, — is taken up with that one poor 
man, with that single sinner there, and with that harlot, who had 
seven devils, and carries them home upon His shoulders, requir- 
ing of all His dear hearts to rejoice with Him at this soul who 
does not belong to the election of grace, but which He has saved, 
nevertheless, by His sovereign power and authority ; because it 
wanted to be saved, because it was in fear about itself, because 
its sins went over its head, and were like a sore burden, too heavy 
for it to bear. 

" This is the foundation upon which we love our enemies, upon 
which we bless them that curse us, and pray for them that de- 
spitefully use us and persecute us ; for it may avail. This, in- 
deed, is not possible, that a heart beforehand elected can curse 
our Saviour ; that it can persecute any one for His sake, and that 
it can be an enemy to our Saviour designedly; it is contrary to its 
nature. But no sooner has a downright enemy of God, a servant 
of Satan, a spoil of hell and death, and not only a spoil and a 
captive, but a hitherto volunteer of sin and death ; I say, no 
sooner has such a one a mind to be saved, but he can be saved, 
can become a brother ; nay, it may go so far, that all the elect of 
our Saviour blush, and are covered with shame at his happiness. 

" Sure enough, the life of the malefactor on the cross was not 
the life of an elect person ; for the Father does not expose the 
election of His grace at such a rate as to suffer the IIe0/«ro/?j<r/£ of 
His Son to spend its life in murder and robbery. But thus our 
Saviour overcomes ; so He gains His cause ; so He shows His 
Creator-power in that He can say to every brat of the devil, 
without ceremony, or order, or system, ' You had rather, however, 
be mine. You had rather come with me.' ' Oh yes, Lord ! think 
only on me, forget me not, and when Thou hast done meditating 
upon all Thy blessedness and glory, then let the poor robber come 



APPENDIX. 



311 



into Thy thoughts/ < Amen !' said our Saviour. ' Now this very 
day come with me. I will take thee with me, then I shall have 
no occasion to remind myself of thee. I will take thee with me 
this moment.' 

" Observe this is the meaning of 1 Thy kingdom come.' Father, 
let things be brought so far in the world, that a church be seen, 
that a people be seen, which acts in Thy name, and appeals to 
the marriage supper of the Father of Jesus Christ, which He 
makes for His Son, the King who has sent out to procure mar- 
riage-guests for His Son, and who has commanded it to be pub- 
lished indiscriminately to all the world — ' Come, for all things 
are ready.' 

" The third petition is, Thy will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven. 

" This is a profound saying of our Saviour's, and implies that 
people had hitherto had but little conception of the Father's will 
upon earth. The Son, indeed, had done all things according to 
the Father's will, for He and the Father are one ; and He always 
rejoiced at that which the Son did; yea, the Son would do 
nothing but what He had seen the Father do. But the Father's 
government had not been immediate, He had not meddled with 
it, so that men knew — that is the Father's will, the Father will 
have it so ; which phrase our Saviour had in His mouth every 
now and then, — 'This is the will of Him that sent me/ &c. 
c This is the will of the Father,' &c. So that the meaning here 
is as it were so : In heaven we knew it very well ; there it was 
our life ; there it was my meat and drink to do what pleased my 
Father. To play, Father ! before Thee, and to do according 
to Thy heart. Thou Thyself hast given me the testimony that 
Thou hast had pleasure in me. Likewise the angels who see 
Thy face have stood before Thee, ready to execute in the regions 
of heaven what was Thy will. But oh, dear Father, if it was 
but so in the world, too ; if there were but people there also, 
whose joy and pleasure it was to do the will of the Father of 



312 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



Jesus Christ, to be ready in all things at the Father's beck, to go 
to Him and to say, Behold, Father ! that is Thy Son's affair, 
help us therein ; Thou canst give us power, wisdom, and success 
therein ; it affects Thy Son's interest. Oh that the whole world 
was here and there full of people, full of heroes, who would have 
to do with nothing else, but to carry on this loving will of the 
Father's through all opposition." 



i^OTE 5. 

The Eev. Henry Shawe, of the Moravian Society, 97 Hatton 
Garden, has most kindly furnished the translator with the fol- 
lowing list of the numbers of those hymns in the English Hymn- 
book used by the United Brethren, which are translations from 
the German of Zinzendorf . 



68 


329 


471, 1 


583 


720 


80 


330 


485 


589 


723 


122 


339 


492 


594 


766 


175 


357 


497 


595 


787 


190 


358 


502 


602 


788 


206 


364 


503 


609 


803 


207 


369, 1 


512 


611, 1 


807 


217 


385 


513 


616 


808 


256 


400 


519 


616, 1 


810 


257 


405 


522 


660 


811 


268 


409 


523 


674 


813 


270 


412, 2, 3 


524 


692 


814 


272 


414, 4 


555 


713 


815 


300 


436, 2 


561 


714 


818 


306 


450 


563 


716 


819 


225 


454 


567, 1 


717 


822 


326 


468 


579 


719 


828 



APPENDIX. 



313 



829 


879 


914 


982 


1069 


834 


881 


920 


984 


1070 


847 


884 


929 


986 


1149 


849 


885 


954 


990 


1188 


854 


887 


961 


1002 


1190 


859 


893 


965 


1004 


1213 


864 


895 


971 


1015 


1220 


869 


909 


978 


1033 


1234 


876 


913 


979 







It need hardly be remarked that the poetic character of the 
original compositions is but little represented in any of these 
translations. The difficulty of transferring the poetry of hymns 
from one language to another, especially when the translator has 
to keep the requirements of metro constantly in view, amounts 
to something like an impossibility. A German hymn, to be 
really enjoyed, should be read in the German language. 



Note 6. Zinzendorf on the Atonement. 

Extract from Twenty-one Discourses or Dissertations on the Augs- 
burg Confession, delivered by the Ordinary of the Brethren's 
Churches before the Seminary, 1753. 

" He hath suffered, He was dead. We may easily think that 
God, as God, is incapable of being slain or killed ; that God, being 
Spirit, did neither bleed nor cry; but yet neither can we say, that 
God did not ; this we can as little say, as that God did. I repeat 
it, we cannot positively say that this happened to the Godhead ; 
but neither can we say that His divinity had no share in it. In 
order to lay a bottom for the preponderancy and the merit, cer- 
tain it is, that the Godhead was everywhere present ; God atoned 



314 



THE BANISHED COUNT. 



for us, God sanctified us, God purchased us regeneration by the 
birth from God. Yes ! there we have the hypostatic union again. 
For this no man can effect ; this no Brother can do ; he must let 
it alone for ever. God redeemed us, God bought His Church, 
God took the most intimate share therein ; the divinity of Jesus 
Christ interested itself in such a manner in His birth, life, suf- 
ferings, death, and resurrection, that there is nothing in nature 
which we could conceive so near ; so that no distance of half a 
hair's-breadth must be imagined between the actions and occur- 
rences of the manhood of Jesus Christ and the Godhead's partici- 
pation. But yet, for all that, the Saviour had no more sensible 
or instantaneous support from it than He should and would 
have at that time. For all this was out of His own previous 
good pleasure, out of His own deep wisdom, out of His own 
proper invention and predestination, concealed from and become 
a mystery to Him. He believed in good earnest that His God- 
head had forsaken Him ; had He not believed it, He would not 
have said it, and lamented it moreover. Now, then, why did all 
this happen 1 Answer : ' That He might be a clean offering as 
well for original sin as for each actual offence, and pacify God's 
intense wrath.' 

" My brethren, there is a great difference between original sin 
and actual sin; one springs out of the other, but yet they are not 
the same. Our Saviour suffered so bitterly for original sin, He 
so really died for it, and nailed it in such a manner to the cross's 
tree, that no human soul dies of that any more, nor perishes upon 
account of there being such a thing as original sin. Original sin 
could not be forgiven merely, but it was also necessary it should 
be atoned for; but actual sin is now no more atoned for, but for- 
given ; from this grace and release may be had in the sacrifice of 
Jesus." 



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